


Symbiotic

by scarletmanuka



Category: 9-1-1 (TV), Venom (Movie 2018)
Genre: Buck and Eddie B become friends, Canon-Typical Violence, Crossover, Established Eddie/Venom, Fluff and Angst, Happy Ending, Investigations, Jealous Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV), Kidnapping, M/M, Other, Pre-Relationship Evan "Buck" Buckley/Eddie Diaz, Protective Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV), Protective Venom Symbiote (Marvel), Serial Killers, Torture, Venom and Eddie Diaz friendship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-23
Updated: 2021-02-21
Packaged: 2021-03-14 23:27:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 12
Words: 34,658
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28928781
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scarletmanuka/pseuds/scarletmanuka
Summary: Eddie Brock and Venom investigate a serial killer who targets firefighters. They believe that Buck is his next victim and try to stop it. Then things go totally wrong; Eddie and Venom are separated, Buck and Eddie B are kidnapped, and the serial killer suddenly has two victims. It'll be up to Venom and Eddie Diaz to team up to save the men that they love.
Relationships: Eddie Brock/Venom Symbiote, Evan "Buck" Buckey/Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV)
Comments: 151
Kudos: 172





	1. Chapter 1

Eddie B and Venom

Eddie Brock sat in his rental car, drumming his fingers on the steering wheel. He’d been parked across and just a little down from the fire station for the better part of half an hour, waiting for the shift change. He studied the large building, with the massive roller doors that always remained open so the trucks could leave immediately. Even though it wasn’t even 8am as yet, the station was a bustle of activity. One ladder truck and an ambulance had recently headed off to an incident and the other two trucks were being cleaned and stocked. On the faint breeze, Eddie could hear laughter and banter, the men and women of the 118 jovial as their 24 hour shift came to an end.

“Come on, come on,” he muttered.

 **“He will show,”** Venom rumbled. **“Patience, Eddie.”**

“I just want to stop this fucker before he hurts someone else.”

**“So do I.”**

Eddie snorted. “You just want to eat his head.”

 **“I can want both,”** Venom protested, sounding offended.

“Yeah, that’s true, isn’t it? You’ve come a long way in the years we’ve been together.”

**“I guess you’ve rubbed off on me.”**

“In more ways than one,” Eddie said, waggling his eyebrows.

**“You are a juvenile.”**

“But you still love me.”

**“Always.”**

Cars began to pull into the lot attached to the side of the station and Eddie played with his phone whilst keeping one eye on them, making sure that any casual glances his way would show nothing more than someone looking up an address. Two pickup trucks pulled in, one shiny and new, the other a little worse for wear and Eddie watched the two men get out and greet each other. One had dark hair, looked to be of Latino descent, and grinned at the other man with his whole face. Eddie flipped through his notes and figured that this must be Edmundo Diaz. The man with him was tall, with sandy blonde hair. and a birthmark above one eye. This was the one that Eddie had flagged as the potential target. He’d keep an eye on Evan Buckley.

After Diaz and Buckley had gone inside another pick-up truck pulled into the lot. It was large but not the biggest. It was clean but not shiny. It was a gun metal grey and didn't have fancy wheel rims. It was completely and utterly nondescript. “Here’s our man,” Eddie whispered.

They watched him get out of the truck and stand, looking at the station for a moment. He was tall, taller than Buckley, and more defined than Diaz. His tight t-shirt rippled as his muscles moved beneath the fabric and his jeans bulged around his thighs. He had dark hair and a chiseled jaw and Eddie knew that up close he would see that he had bright green eyes. 

**“He looks tasty,”** Venom commented.

He knew that Vee was talking about the brains inside his skull but Eddie saw it in a different light. Carl Delaware was ridiculously good looking and he made heads turn wherever he went. He was a natural charmer and he seemed to have no problem at all in making people feel comfortable around him. He drew them in, and made them feel at ease.

Then he’d kidnap them, torture them for months on end, kill them, and dump the bodies in the woods.

Dellware had a preference for first responders, mostly firefighters. He also had a very specific victim. They were always male; they were all tall and strong; they were always blonde; and they always had some sort of defining feature. 

Eddie knew in his very soul that Carl Delaware would kill again and was 99% certain that Evan Buckley was going to be his next target.

He was also certain that he was going to stop him.

 **“We, Eddie,”** Vee rumbled. **_“We_** **are** **going to stop him.”**

oOoOo

Buck

Buck shoved his bag into his locker and closed the door, turning to Chim with a huge grin. “You should have seen him, it was so cute!”

Chim smiled and looked over at Eddie. “And how do you feel about this? You ready for your son to start dating?”

“Jesus Christ, Christopher isn’t _dating,_ okay? He sent a girl in his class a Valentine’s Day card, that’s all. He’s _eleven!”_

“He had heart eyes _all_ last night,” Buck said happily. “We used a whole tube of glitter glue on the card.”

Eddie slumped onto the bench and pointed at Buck. “You! You encouraged him the whole time!”

Buck shrugged. “Yeah, and? I think it’s sweet. As you said, they’re eleven - you don’t have to worry about him knocking her up for a few years yet.”

Eddie just groaned in reply.

“So, did you guys send anyone a V Day card?” Chim asked and then looked pointedly between them. “Or _receive_ one.”

Buck’s eyes automatically went to Eddie and then he looked away. “No, I ah, didn't get anything.”

Chim turned to Eddie. “What about you?”

Eddie’s face had turned into a blank mask. “I’m not really interested in dating right now, Chim. Christopher is my priority.”

“But -”

Chim broke off as Eddie shot him a glare and Buck glanced out of the door and saw a guy talking to Bobby. “Hey, who’s that?” he asked, hoping to change the subject. It was no secret that he and Eddie shared an attraction and Buck knew all too well that there was a betting pool about when they’d get together. What the rest of the team _didn’t_ know was that he’d made a move on Eddie a few months back and he’d been politely rejected. It stung and he didn’t agree with the reasons that Eddie had given him but Buck had worked hard on not letting it make their friendship awkward. He would rather have Eddie in his life as his best friend than not at all. 

Chim leaned around him to see just as Hen joined them from the female showers. “I’m guessing that’s the new guy - Delaware I think Cap said his name was.”

“Damn, Chimney,” Hen cried, “looks like you might have some competition, Mr April.”

“Aren’t you supposed to be a raging lesbian?” Chim asked, sounding exasperated.

“Just because I don’t shop there, doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate one of the specials in the catalogue.”

“Besides, she’s totally right,” Buck said. “He’s hot as fuck.” He could feel Eddie’s glare turn to him but he ignored it. He was allowed to appreciate someone else’s looks, especially since Eddie didn’t want him appreciating him. 

“Okay, well let’s go meet the new guy,” Hen said, clapping her hands together.

They moved as one to where Bobby and Delaware were, easily capturing their Captain’s attention. “Here they are now,” Bobby said with a smile. “Guys, this is Carl Delaware who has just transferred in from San Francisco. Carl, this is Hen, Chimney, Eddie, and Buck.”

Carl shook all of their hands, giving them all a megawatt smile. He caught and held Buck’s gaze as they shook and Buck found himself growing warm under the scrutiny. He really was handsome, tall and strong, perfect skin and teeth, and his eyes were a shade of green that Buck had never seen before. They reminded him of a mossy grotto where the sun reflected off the water, dazzling the viewer. Currently those eyes were sizing Buck up, and from the smirk that he gave Buck, they liked what they saw. 

When they finally let go, Buck’s whole face felt like it was burning and he wondered what the hell had come over him. He was stupidly in love with his best friend, who was _right there,_ and all of a sudden he’s drooling over the new guy? He glanced quickly over to Eddie to see that his best friend’s jaw was clenched tight and his fists were curled. He’d definitely noticed what had passed between them.

“I think I’m gonna like it here,” Carl drawled with an easy grin.

Bobby clapped him on the back. “Given the outstanding references from your Captain and Chief, I think we’re going to like having you here.”

Hen and Chim nodded but Eddie remained silent. Buck knew him better than anyone and so he clearly heard the unsaid _‘Not everyone’._ He was suddenly reminded of Eddie’s first day at the 118 and how he’d instantly disliked Eddie because he was a threat. Buck had the feeling that Eddie was experiencing a very similar thing.

When Bobby announced that breakfast would be ready in an hour, Buck bumped shoulders with his best friend and, hoping to cheer him up, said, “Want to spar a little beforehand?” 

After Eddie had quit street fighting, and he and Buck had repaired their friendship after the lawsuit, they’d taken to sparring regularly. It not only helped Eddie deal with his anger issues in a safe environment, but it had the added benefit of keeping Buck in tip top shape. He’d always loved being physical, had thrived on it during his SEALs training, and he enjoyed learning new moves from Eddie. Getting hot and sweaty with Eddie was a pro and a con at the same time. Buck craved that closeness, hearing the grunts and gasps that Eddie made, and his imagination neatly slotted them into his nighttime fantasies. On the other hand, it only seemed to fuel their sexual tension and was a stark reminder of what Eddie had turned down.

“Sure,” Eddie agreed easily and they left for the gym while Hen offered to give Carl a tour of the station. 

Eddie was more worked up than usual, giving Buck a run for his money. Buck wasn’t going to just stand there and get his ass kicked though - he may not have had Eddie’s experience at the very beginning but he had always been a fast learner and their skills were almost on par these days. He ducked and dodged, giving back as much as Eddie gave and it wasn't long before they’d drawn a crowd. He could hear Hen calling out to place bets and he grinned. Nothing much changed around the 118.

Eddie was loosening up, Carl all but forgotten and soon he was grinning too. It became almost a dance as they ducked and weaved, jabbed and kicked. Buck dodged a punch and he used Eddie’s forward momentum to twist and slip an arm around his throat, pinning them back to chest. “Not gonna get the drop on me _that_ easily,” he said throatily against Eddie’s ear. 

He felt the full body shiver that went through Eddie and was so focused on that that he didn't notice Eddie get in position to break the hold. “Wanna bet?” Eddie asked, then dropped down through Buck’s arms and swiped his legs to take Buck’s from underneath him. He hit the mat hard and Eddie rolled on top of him, pinning him down with his thighs, holding Buck’s hands above his head. 

Buck grinned. “Oooh, kinky,” he said, waggling a brow, then laughed as Eddie flushed. Using Eddie’s distraction against him, Buck rolled them, reversing their positions. He leaned down close and whispered, “I’m a switch but I gotta admit, I do enjoy being on top.”

There was a definite twitch in Eddie’s pants at those words and Buck wondered if they were alone if Eddie would finally relent, give in to the chemistry between them. He glanced up at the crowd around them, suddenly annoyed at his colleagues. Of course, Eddie took advantage of that immediately and rolled them again. Buck hit the mat with an _oof._

Eddie leaned in close this time and it was Buck’s turn to shiver as he felt warm breath against his ear. “Even when I’m the bottom, I’m topping,” Eddie said in a voice way too sultry for a work environment.

Buck groaned but luckily no one heard him as Bobby was calling out, “What the hell is this? Amsterdam? Put a show on in your own time boys. Now come on, breakfast is ready.”

Eddie rolled off Buck and lay next to him, both of them breathing heavily. Buck was achingly hard and thanked every deity known to man that his tight briefs were holding him close so he wasn’t tenting through his sweats. He really didn't need to be showing off what he was packing at work. He couldn't help but glance down at Eddie’s own sweats, smirking when he saw that they were also slightly distended. He was about to make a quip about them charging for their shows when he caught sight of Delaware standing up on the balcony, watching them. There was an old smile on his face and Buck felt a shiver go through him for a completely different reason. 

He didn't know exactly how, but he knew that Carl Delaware was going to completely shake things up at the 118.


	2. Chapter 2

Eddie Brock and Venom 

Eddie sat staring at the case notes in front of him, lost in thought. Five faces stared up at him from the files. Five firefighters dead. Five bodies found, all missing a defining feature, kept as a trophy.

Kegan Woods - Seattle FD, Station 32, found in a child’s playground, the large port wine birthmark cut from his neck.

Rory Butler - Seattle FD, Station 54, found along a hiking trail, missing the diamond shaped scar from his cheek.

Keith Rivera - San Francisco FD, Station 27, found on a secluded beach of the bay, missing his eyes (Heterochromia),

Jack Beattie - San Francisco FD, Station 45, found in a child’s playground, the entire left arm taken as it had been badly burned on a call.

Nolan Jennings - San Francisco FD, Station 30, found along a hiking trail, missing his ears, which had been described by his wife as being ‘elven’. 

Besides their appearance (tall, blonde, strong, defining feature) and their occupation, none of the men had anything in common. Butler was gay, Beattie had been described as asexual, and the others were straight. Woods and Rivera were religious (Catholic and Christian respectively) but the others showed no interest in religion. Two had kids, the others didn’t. Four were close with their families, one wasn’t. They all used social media but some used Facebook, others Twitter. Three had Costco cards, two didn’t. All they had to go on to try and narrow down Delaware’s next potential victim was the physical description. 

Evan Buckley was the most likely candidate from the 118, however Delaware hadn’t always taken victims from his own station. He’d been with the 12 in Seattle but had socialised with guys from the 32 and had played basketball against a team from the 54. When he moved to San Francisco he’d worked at the 45 before transferring out to the 30. From what Eddie could tell, Delaware’s station house had done a few training exercises with the 27, but he was only present for half of those. By the time Jenning’s body was discovered, Delaware had already left the 30, on his way to LA. He was careful, only having tenuous ties to all of the victims but to Eddie, the fact that he had any ties at all to _all_ of the victims was a crucial factor. The detectives he’d gone to had dismissed his concerns, stating that firefighting was a close knit community and many of them would share the same connections. Eddie had argued that sure, that might be true in one city, but what were the chances in _two_ cities? He’d not convinced them and so he'd decided to investigate himself. 

After the whole Life Foundation incident, Eddie had gone back to written journalism but had continued to expose the very worst of humanity. He’d won the Goldsmith Award the previous year for his work exposing the hidden discrimination in the hiring policies of several counties which had earned him the freedom to investigate whatever he wanted. When he’d told his boss that he was following a lead to LA to investigate a possible serial killer, his boss had simply handed over a company credit card and told him to be safe. Now all he had to do was to find the proof of Delaware’s crimes before Buckley was taken.

 **“Eddie, hungry, Eddie,”** Venom whined, coalescing a small head and bumping it against Eddie’s. 

“Hmm?” 

**“You’ve been at this for hours, it’s time for food.”**

Eddie looked up, blinking and then realised the time. “Oh, yeah, sorry love. Do you want some tots?”

**“Tots! Yes!”**

Eddie laughed and stood, going to the small kitchenette. He’d been sure to rent a self contained apartment for the duration of the investigation so he could cater to Venom’s needs. His boss loved him for it, thinking that Eddie was forgoing expensive hotels to keep the budget low and he was happy to have him continue to think that. He pulled a bag of Tater Tots from the tiny freezer section of the bar fridge and dumped them on a tray before throwing them in the convection oven. He grabbed a Snickers bar to tide V over until they were done and then slumped down on the couch. Venom curled around his neck and nuzzled his cheek, and Eddie pressed a kiss to his in return. “Here, have some chocolate, darling.” He unwrapped the bar and held it up for V.

It took one snap of Venom’s gaping maw to devour the Snickers bar and Eddie watched on in fond amusement as V’s large tongue licked his chops to get all traces of chocolate from them. **“Yum,”** he rumbled. **“Thank you.”**

“Anything for you, love.”

**“So what is the plan now?”**

Eddie sighed. “For now there’s not much we can do since Delaware is still on shift, but the team is halfway through their swing so we’ll be able to act soon.” The 118 followed the California Swing Shift rotation of working 24 hours on, 24 off, 24 on, 24 off, 24 on, and then 96 hours off. Delaware had commenced at the station house on the second shift on so they only had the rest of this shift and then two more days before he'd be off for four days. “We’ll follow him when he gets off shift in the morning, even though he’s likely to simply go home and sleep. Maybe after his nap he’ll do something interesting, but we’ll see. Once he’s back at work, we’re going to hit his house, do a little snooping. Then we’ll be on his tail over his days off.”

**“Maybe we’ll get to eat him before he even has a chance to harm Buckley?”**

Eddie snorted. “Maybe. I doubt it though, he’s been too careful.” He sighed and rubbed over his eyes.

**“What is it?”**

“V, you’re in my head, you know _exactly_ what it is.”

Venom moved so he was hovering directly in front of Eddie’s face. **“You don’t think we should eat him.”** There was definitely a pout happening there.

“Look, I know you like eating bad guys, hell, I’m happy to find bad guys for you to eat, but we’re doing this on the clock. How am I going to explain spending all this time and money investigating Delaware only to have to say ‘Oh, I don’t know where he went, he just fell off the face of the earth!’. Somehow I don’t think my boss would be happy.”

 **“But he deserves to be eaten,”** Venom grumbled.

“Yeah he does, but maybe we have to hand him over to the cops this time. We can find you another bad guy to eat.”

Venom was definitely sulking now. **“They won’t taste as good.”**

A sulking Venom was adorable and Eddie leaned in and kissed him gently. “Maybe while we wait for the tots to cook you could taste something even better?”

A long, thick, wet tongue darted out of Venom’s mouth and licked up Eddie’s neck and face. **“That is acceptable.”**

“Oh, acceptable huh? Well I’m glad I’m _acceptable,”_ Eddie teased.

Venom couldn't actually roll his eyes but Eddie knew that if he could, he would be. **“Why don’t you shut up and take off your pants.”**

Laughing, Eddie did just that, happy that he’d managed to cheer his Other up.

oOoOo

Eddie Diaz

The siren blared and the team ran for the truck, and Eddie had to refrain from smirking as Delaware looked hopefully at Buck as he climbed last into the rig just to be ignored as Buck took his customary place next to Eddie. His smug satisfaction was short lived because Delaware wasted no time in opening staring at Buck, obviously enjoying the view. Buck didn't seem to notice, just started rattling off statistics he’d looked up about how many cars actually broke through barriers in crashes in the LA area. They were heading to such an accident now and Eddie just settled back and let Buck’s husky voice wash over him.

His feelings for his best friend were...complicated. He had never believed that when he joined the 118 several years ago that he’d have become so close with Evan Buckley. Buck had been an absolute dick to him on his first shift, strutting around like a peacock and throwing shade like nobody’s business. Then they’d successfully removed a live grenade from a man’s leg and just like that, they were friends.

After the earthquake, when Buck had helped Eddie collect Chris from school, he had become family. Chris had instantly clicked with Buck and they had been inseparable ever since. Some days Eddie would act offended when Buck stated that Chris was his favourite Diaz but really, nothing could make him happier. That Buck not only loved Chris, but treated him like he was his own damn kid, it made those warm, fuzzy feelings that he had for his best friend get even stronger.

He’d always found Buck attractive - who wouldn’t? But he’d tried his best to keep a lid on his attraction so it wouldn't make things messy. Then Buck had had to go and kiss him and things got messy anyway. Pulling away from Buck had been the hardest thing that he had ever done, and the conversation afterwards hadn't been all that much better. At least they had salvaged their friendship, with only a short period of awkwardness afterwards. 

He liked to think that he would be supportive of Buck if he found someone else, if he started dating. He’d thought so anyway. Up until now it had been entirely conjecture. People flirted with Buck on jobs all the time, or when they were at the park, or at the museum with Chris. But Buck never flirted back and so Eddie had been able to keep believing that he’d be cool with it because it was never really a possibility. Until now. He’d suspected that Buck had experience with other men, had extrapolated that from stories from college and the way that Buck was so careful with pronouns at times, figured that the drunken kiss they’d shared wasn’t the first time that Buck had kissed a man. He’d been unprepared to see Buck so openly okay with being flirted with by a guy that _wasn’t_ Eddie though. And that he’d stated outright that he thought said guy was hot...Eddie might just be in trouble. He knew deep down that he would have a problem if something happened between Buck and Delaware but after turning down Buck’s advances, he didn't have a leg to stand on. 

He was very, very screwed.

They arrived at the scene which brought an end to his wandering thoughts and they all jumped out. One glance told him that they’d need the repelling gear and he was already reaching for it before Bobby asked for it. He tossed a harness to Buck, who caught it easily, but before he could even start to put on his own, Bobby’s words had him freezing.

“Buckley, Delaware, I want you two to head down and secure the vehicle. Diaz, you’ll operate the winch. Chim, get harnessed up just in case they need you before we get them up here. Hen, get the backboards ready.”

Eddie opened his mouth to protest but the rest of the team were already moving, obeying Cap’s orders. He couldn’t deny that it stung, to have Delaware take his place. It was _always_ Eddie paired with Buck. They had a routine, they worked well together, they didn't even need to speak, they were so intune with one another. But now he was being replaced with _Delaware?_ What the actual fuck?

He felt Buck clap him on the shoulder and lean in close to say quietly, “You know Bobby’s just putting him through his paces, checking out his skills. It doesn't mean anything.”

And Eddie knew that, he did, but his heart was still clenched in his chest. He gave a sharp nod and moved to get the winch ready, eying the vehicle that was perched halfway down the side of the mountain, figuring out how much lead they’d need. 

Watching Buck kick off the side and disappear from view, Delaware at his side, was harder than Eddie thought it would be. The sympathetic look that Hen sent him didn't help either. He huffed out a breath and tried to push his feelings aside, concentrating on the job at hand and making sure that Buck got back to the top safely. 

“How’s it going down there?” Cap asked over the radio.

 _“We’re almost there.”_ Buck’s voice replied. _“Just a few more feet.”_ A few moments later he was back, saying, _“Okay, we’ve reached the car. Two occupants, one female in the driver’s seat, one male child in the rear. Assessing them now.”_

Eddie listened in over the radio as Buck called out to the woman, heard her muffled reply, and Delaware’s voice in the background. Once he’d reported back to Bobby that both appeared fine, with minimal injuries, they began the process of lowering the first backboard down. 

_“That’s it, Eddie, got the first one,”_ Buck said, and even though it was over the open channel, he felt like Buck was addressing him and him only. 

“Copy that,” Eddie replied. “Advise when clear to extract.”

A few minutes passed and then Delaware was saying, _“Female driver is secured. Ready for extraction.”_

A petty thought crossed Eddie’s mind, of dropping Delaware into the abyss but of course he simply began to winch him back up to safety. As soon as they were up, Hen and Chim were hovering over the driver, checking her over. 

“Okay, Buck, sending down the next one,” Eddie said. As Delaware followed the board down, Eddie swallowed hard, wishing that he was in his place.

 _“Copy that.”_ A few minutes later he heard Buck say, _“Okay, Davey, it’s our turn. I’m going to clip this rope to your belt so you can shuffle over to me, then we’re going to get you nice and secure on this board, okay? That’s it, you’re doing great. No, it’s okay to be scared, but you got this. How old are you? Eleven? One of my favourite people in the whole world is eleven too. What’s your favourite subject at school? His is science.”_

Eddie’s throat tightened as he listened to Buck calm a little boy down by talking about Chris. Soon he could hear Davey laughing over the radio as Buck told him all about the volcano experiment they did in the kitchen that had exploded when they added way too much bicarbonate of soda. 

_“We’d added a heap of food dye, too, so the whole kitchen was covered in red. It got everywhere. Me and my friend Eddie were covered as well and came to work for days on end with big red blotches all over our faces.”_ There was a pause and then, _“Okay, Eddie, we’re ready. Pull us up.”_

“You sure?” he teased. “I feel like you’ve not really convinced Davey of our competence.”

_“This is much easier to do than sixth grade science.”_

“True that. Okay, bringing you up.”

He began the winch and it was all going smoothly until it shuddered and ground to a halt. “What the hell is that?” Eddie demanded over the radio.

_“Crap, my rope is caught on one of the side panels of the car that came loose the way down. Wait, let me...no, that’s not going to work. Hmmm.”_

Eddie knew that hum, it was the one that Buck did as he was thinking over a really stupid thing to do. “Buck, what are you doing man?”

_“Give me a sec, I’m securing the board to Carl.”_

“Buck!”

_“Okay, patient is secured.”_

“What about you?” Eddie cried.

“Buckley, report. What is going on?” Bobby asked.

_“I’m stuck, Cap. Trying to free myself now.”_

Eddie chewed on his lip as he waited, listening to the grunts and muffled noises of Buck trying to untangle his line from the debris. “Buck,” he almost whispered, watching as his line twisted and pulled against the winch. 

_“Okay, so time for Plan B,”_ Buck said, and suddenly his line went slack as the weight dropped from it “Buck!” Eddie shouted, wanting to rush to the edge to peer over but unable to abandon his post at the winch. 

Bobby and Chim could though and Bobby yelled over his shoulder, “Eddie, pull them up, now, go go!”

Eddie began the winch again, his heart in his throat and soon the backboard with Davey came into view and then Delaware’s helmet appeared. As his torso came into view, Eddie saw that Buck was clinging to his back, his arms and legs wrapped around him.

As soon as all three were up over the edge, Buck dropped down from Delaware’s back and Eddie hurried towards him to make sure that he was okay. Buck allowed him to fuss, knowing how he felt since he would have felt the same way if it had been Eddie to do the extraction with Buck at the winch. 

“You cut the line,” Eddie said, grabbing a hold of Buck’s shoulders and shaking him slightly. “You sonofabitch, you cut the line.”

“Eddie,” Buck said, more calmly than anyone should be in the situation, “I did what you would have done. I did what you _have_ done. I’m okay, I promise.”

Eddie couldn’t quite believe it though and kept staring at him, making sure he was alright.

Delaware approached and slapped Buck on the shoulder, his hand squeezing him. “Holy shit man, that was bad ass! I’ve never seen anything like it.”

“Get used to it,” Hen said as she passed them on the way to the ambulance. “Buck does crazy shit like this all the time. Eddie is just as bad.” She winked and then was gone.

“You’ll have to tell me all about the crazy shit you’ve done one time,” Delaware said. “Maybe over a drink?”

Buck seemed oblivious as he simply nodded and said, “Sure - the team are planning on heading out for drinks on our first day off after this rotation ends. You should come.”

Delaware didn't look at all phased at Buck’s misinterpretation, just gave him one of his dazzling grins and said, “Sounds great. I look forward to it.” Eddie thought the sultry look he gave Buck afterwards was overkill. 

Buck grinned happily and bounced over to where Hen and Chimney were checking over Davey and his mother so he could see if they were alright. Delaware then patted Eddie on the shoulder and said, in a rather condescending tone, “Nice work on the winch,” and then walked off to talk to Bobby.

Eddie gritted his teeth as he began to dismantle the winch, ignoring the desire to drag Delaware to the edge and throw him over. He really, _really_ didn’t like that man.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case it's not been obvious, this takes place a year or two after Season 3 and The Virus That Shall Not Be Named does not exist in this 'verse.

Eddie Brock and Venom

**“Eddie.”**

“Yeah?”

**“I’m hungry.”**

“You’re always hungry.”

**“I want chocolate.”**

“You ate it all in the first hour.”

**“I want more.”**

“There is no more.”

 **“Eddie, I want** **_more.”_ **

“Quit whining.”

 **“But I’m** **_hungry!”_ **

“What do you want me to do about it? I brought snacks and you ate them all.”

**“We need to get more.”**

“We’re kind of busy right now, V.”

 **“We’re just** **_sitting_ ** **here. Doing nothing.”**

Eddie sighed. “We’re on a stakeout, V. That’s not doing nothing.”

 **“Feels like nothing,”** Venom grumbled. 

“Delaware will be leaving for work soon. Once he’s gone, we’ll go and have a snoop and then we’ll go and get food, okay. You can wait that long.”

**“Your pancreas is looking very tasty.”**

“You leave my pancreas alone!”

 **“Fine. You don’t** **_need_ ** **your spleen though.”**

“Why the hell do I put up with you?” Eddie exclaimed, throwing his hands up in the air.

**“Because you love me.”**

“Yeah, well, that’s debatable at times,” he muttered.

**“Eddie! Say you love me!”**

“No.”

**_“Eddie!”_ **

“Fine, sorry. I _do_ love you, but I’m still not feeding you.”

**“I hate you.”**

“Oh, that’s how it is, huh? Stupid parasite.”

**“Apologise!”**

“No.”

**_“Apologise!”_ **

“Maybe _you_ should apologise for being a galactic sized pain in my ass.”

**“I’ll show you a galactic sized pain in your ass!”**

Eddie choked as he felt something begin to grow rapidly in his ass. “V, stop it!”

 **“That’s not what you usually say. Normally you say,** **_more V, more!”_ **His voice went high and squeaky as he tried - and failed - to imitate Eddie. 

“For crying out _loud!”_ Eddie squeaked as Venom’s mass started pressing against his prostate. “Fuck, V, we’re working. Quit it!”

**“Fine, you’re no fun.”**

The mass disappeared and Eddie was left feeling flustered and semi hard while Venom retreated inside, sulking behind Eddie’s diaphragm. Sometimes being bonded with Venom was like carrying around a big, scary brat who never listened to anything you had to say. He loved Venom, more than anything, and they’d been through so much together, even saving the world, but dammit. There was a time and a place! He slumped in his seat and rubbed at his face.

**“Eddie?”**

He huffed out a breath. “What now?”

**“Delaware is leaving the house.”**

Eddie sat up quickly, his eyes flickering to the house across the street. It was old but well cared for, a small single dwelling on a decent sized block in an average neighbourhood. Delaware got into his truck and Eddie slumped back down in his seat as he drove past. Once he was gone, he wasted no time in getting out of his own car, a sheaf of pamphlets in his hand. Eddie began to drop them randomly in letterboxes on his side of the road, keeping an eye out for any residents coming and going. He crossed the street and dropped a pamphlet in Delaware’s neighbour’s letterbox and then meandered down the footpath to post one in Delaware’s. “See anything?” he whispered.

A small head poked out from where his shoulder met his neck and like a periscope, Venom scouted the area. **“All looks clear.”**

Acting as casual as possible, Eddie started up the walk and went to the front door, knocking once. He was fairly certain that no one else lived there but just because he hadn’t seen anyone, didn’t mean he couldn’t be surprised. A minute later with no response to the knock he slipped around the side of the house and through a gate to the backyard. He tried each window he came to and finally found one that was open a crack. “V, you got this?”

 **“I got us, Eddie,”** he confirmed and a thin tendril crept up, through the crack, then dropped to the latch, opening it easily. Eddie clambered inside and they found themselves in a small dining room. 

It took them two hours but they explored the house in its entirety and came upon absolutely nothing of substance. There were no photos of the victims, no trophies, no diary left open with _‘Dear Diary, today I killed a firefighter’_ scribbled on the page. Delaware was either very, very careful, or he was actually innocent. Eddie began to question if he had dragged them on a wild goose chase.

**“Trust your gut, Eddie. There is something wrong with that man.”**

Eddie nodded. “You’re right, V. We just have to keep on him. We’ll find something soon enough.”

**“Exactly. Are we done here?”**

“Yeah, we’re done. For now.”

**“Excellent. Let’s go get chocolate.”**

Eddie huffed out a laugh and nodded. “Sure thing, love. Let’s go get you some chocolate.”

**“Eddie?”**

“Yeah?”

**“I love you.”**

oOoOo

Buck 

Buck picked up his phone as it buzzed from his bed and smiled when he saw that it was a text from Eddie.

**7:31pm Eddie: Five mins away in Uber. Meet out front.**

He checked his appearance one more time in the mirror, telling himself that he totally hadn’t dressed up for Eddie tonight. If he was wearing the soft jeans that clung to his ass or the baby blue button down that Eddie had once said bought out the blue of his eyes, well, that was just a coincidence. It had been ages since the team had had a proper night out where no one had to rush home to kids, no one was on shift the following day, and everyone could make it and he simply wanted to make the most of it. It felt nice to get dressed up and so he’d dragged out his good clothes and spent a little longer on his hair than usual. It was going to be a great night, he just knew it.

Palming his wallet and phone, Buck locked his apartment door and made it to the curb just as headlights flashed around the corner. A blue sedan rolled up in front of him and the rear window wound down. “You looking for company, hot stuff?” Eddie joked, giving him a playful leer.

Buck rolled his eyes but blushed a little, sometimes regretting that their friendship was strong enough that Eddie felt comfortable enough to flirt even after turning Buck down. He said, “You wish, Richard Gere,” and then rounded the car to get in on the other side. 

Eddie was chuckling when he slid into the back and Buck couldn’t help but smile at the look of content on his best friend’s face. Things weren’t always easy for Eddie and he’d gone through so much in recent years that moments like this, where he was joyous and carefree were especially precious. He looked particularly good tonight in the white henley that had quickly become a favourite of Buck’s, and fitted black dress pants. Buck snapped his seatbelt on and the Uber took off and if his shoulder brushed against Eddie’s everytime they turned a corner, well, the backseat wasn’t that wide and they were both broad across the shoulders.

The bar that they were meeting at was their regular haunt, where Maddie and Chim sang karaoke, Bobby hustled everyone at the pool table, and once upon a time, Buck had hooked up with Taylor Kelly in the seedy bathroom. The two entered and headed straight for the bar for a drink before doing a quick search to find where their friends were gathered. They found them in a large, round booth at the rear of the bar and everyone shuffled up to make room as they approached. 

Buck wasn’t blind and he noticed how Eddie skipped ahead, sliding into the booth first so he would be between Buck and Carl. The way Carl winced told Buck that Eddie’s elbow _may_ have made contact with his ribs. It was a petty and mean thing to do but Buck couldn’t help but grin, knowing that Eddie was doing it out of jealousy. Sure, if it continued, he’d have to say something since Eddie had lost all rights to have an opinion about Buck’s love life when he turned him down that time but for now, he let it go. 

“Hey, boys,” Hen greeted them from where she was sandwiched between Karen and Athena. 

“Hey, Hen,” Buck replied, then grinned at the rest of the table. “How’re we all doing tonight?”

There was a big cheer as everyone lifted their drinks and Buck laughed, happy that his family were happy. They chatted away for several hours, sharing several bowls of wedges with their drinks, and soon Maddie was tipsy enough to be dragging Chim up for a song. May was babysitting Ava and they hadn’t had a big night out since she was born so it looked they were both going to make the most of it.

Karen and Athena went to grab another round for everyone and Carl made a bathroom stop so by the time everyone got back to the table, the seating order had shuffled around and Buck found himself sandwiched between Eddie and Carl. Having a hot guy either side of him was more than okay with Buck and he found himself slouching in his seat, pressing against both of them. As conversation started up again, Eddie dropped an arm across the top of the booth and Buck leaned his head back against it.

“So, Carl - how long have you been a firefighter?” Hen asked.

“I signed up the day I turned eighteen,” he said. “So about thirteen years.”

“Man, you don't look old enough to have been on the job that long long,” she exclaimed.

Carl shrugged and Buck felt his warm shoulder press more firmly against his own. “It honestly doesn't feel that long when you’re doing something you love.”

“Where have you been stationed?” Maddie asked, her cheeks still flushed from being on stage and singing to an audience. 

“I’ve been all over the west coast. Started in San Diego, headed up to Portland, then Seattle, San Francisco, and finally here.”

“You’ve done your share of moving,” Athena commented.

Carl nodded. “Yeah, I love the challenge of change. It keeps me on my toes.”

“You’ve never wanted to settle down somewhere?”

One of Carl’s hands crept under the table and landed lightly on Buck’s thigh. Buck was well on his way to being drunk and didn’t see any problem with this. He smiled happily and took another sip of his beer.

“I’ve never really found a reason to settle down,” Carl told Athena. “Maybe one day I‘ll find somewhere - or someone - who makes me want to put down roots but until then…” He shrugged again, giving Buck’s thigh a squeeze.

“You don't consider your fellow firefighters to be family then?” Athena asked.

“‘Thena,” Bobby warned, frowning. 

“What?” she asked, looking around at everyone. “I’ve never met a firefighter who isn’t attached at the hip to their team, who consider them family. I can’t imagine any of you changing stations that frequently. I’m just wondering the reason.”

“Yeah, that is odd,” Eddie agreed.

Buck bumped their shoulders together. “Come on, Eds, that’s not fair. We can’t judge other people like that. We don’t know all the facts.”

Carl gave Athena a smile but it didn't reach his eyes. Buck worried that they weren’t doing a great job of making their newest colleague feel welcome. “Of course I think of them as family,” Carl said, his eyes not leaving Athena’s. “But not all of us are close to our family, or have the best relationships with them. Some of us don’t need to be attached at the hip.”

She arched a brow but otherwise didn’t change her expression. “If you say so. I can’t imagine that helps build trust within a team though. Makes it kinda hard for the others to know that you’ve got their backs.”

“Alright, Athena, that’s enough,” Bobby said firmly. “Carl is a professional and we all trust him to have our backs on the job.”

“Speak for yourself,” Eddie muttered but Buck was sure he was the only one who heard.

“Okay then,” Hen said brightly, trying to break the tension that had settled over the table. “Who wants to dance?”

“I will,” Carl said, giving her an easy grin.

“You couldn’t keep us away from the dance floor tonight,” Maddie said, grabbing Chim’s hand.

“I’m in,” Buck replied, draining the last of his beer.

“What about the rest of you?” Hen asked.

Eddie shook his head. “I’m good here.”

“Awww, Eddie!” Buck whined. “Come on, come dance!”

He shook his head and said, “Not a great idea after last time.”

Buck was gutted but he plastered on a smile and turned to the others, saying, “Athena? Will you come dance?”

Athena was still eyeing Carl with an odd expression and she said, “I’ll sit this one out.”

Karen and Bobby were staying as well so Buck joined their little group as they made their way to the dance floor, his hips already swinging to the beat. They weaved through the crowd until they reached the middle and then he pulled Maddie to him, spinning her away as he twirled her and then passed a laughing sister off to Chim. He then took Hen’s arm and proceeded to dance with her for a while, bumping and grinding energetically, laughing their heads off. Then Maddie grabbed Hen and Buck was dancing alone.

Carl moved in close to join him, close enough that their bodies brushed against one another as they danced. He leaned in even closer and said, “What did Diaz mean back there?” he asked over the music. “What happened last time?”

Flashes of a night spent drinking and dancing with Eddie, his body pulled flush against Buck’s, the way his eyes sparkled in the strobing lights, passed through his mind. The way they’d kept dancing until everyone else had left, until it was just the two of them. He could recall exactly how Eddie’s body felt, loose and relaxed against Buck’s as they stumbled outside to wait for their Uber. And in high definition, cinema perfect recall, he remembered leaning in, brushing their lips together, having Eddie moan and immediately deepen the kiss. The kiss had been absolutely perfect and everything that Buck had wanted - until suddenly it wasn’t. Eddie was pulling away, his eyes closed off, an excuse on his lips, and then he was gone, into the night.

Buck had been stunned but then decided that it wasn’t going to end like that and he’d gone after Eddie. He'd found his best friend leaning against a wall in an alley, breathing hard. He’d asked what was wrong, why Eddie had left when it was so good, and then Eddie had broken his heart.

_“We can’t do this, Buck, it’s not gonna work.”_

_“What? Why not? We’d be good together, Eddie - we_ **_are_ ** _good together!”_

_“I’m sorry, but I can’t. I have to think about Christopher, about what happens to him when we break up. And what of our friendship? People say they can go back to being just friends but I’ve never once seen that actually work without it being awkward as fuck. I can’t lose you, Buck. And then there’s work! How would we work together afterwards, huh? We’d be putting the team at risk with our personal drama.”_

_“Eddie, you’re talking like you’ve already decided that we’re going to break up when we’re not even together yet.”_

_“If we don’t get together, then we can’t break up, and I won’t lose you.”_

_“You don't know what will happen! I have no plans of leaving you, Eds.”_

_“Not now, but when it gets too much? Everyone leaves, Buck, you know that more than anyone.”_

_“Wow, low blow.”_

_“I’m just saying, if we keep things the same between us then there’s no way either of us will get hurt, Christopher won’t get hurt.”_

_“You don’t think it won’t hurt, knowing what we could have been but not taking the chance?”_

_“I’m sorry, Buck. I can’t do this. I won’t. I’m sorry.”_

The deep bass of a new song starting shook Buck from his thoughts and he noticed that he and Carl had stopped dancing, and were just standing still in the middle of the crowd. “You okay?” Carl shouted over the music.

Buck gave a small shake of his head and said, “I need a minute. I’m gonna go grab a drink.”

“I’ll come with you.”

“No, it’s all good. I’ll be back soon.” Buck left, making his way over to the bar and as luck had it, there wasn’t even a queue. He ordered a bourbon, needing something stronger than beer and after the bartender had handed it over he moved down the bar to a quieter spot so he could gather his thoughts before heading back to his friends.

“Rough night?” a voice asked from beside him.

Buck huffed out a laugh. “Not really. The bad night was four months ago.”

“Trust me, I’ve been there.”

Buck looked over to reply and then stopped suddenly, his eyes going wide. “Holy fucking shit - you’re Eddie Brock!”


	4. Chapter 4

Eddie Brock and Venom 

“Holy fucking shit - you’re Eddie Brock!”

Eddie wasn’t at all surprised that Buckley recognised him - from what he’d learned about the firefighter, he was thirsty for knowledge, always reading up about things that interested him, keeping up to date with information. That he would recognise an investigative reporter was to be expected.

 **Not just** **_any_ ** **investigative reporter,** Venom said in his mind, **the** **_best_ ** **investigative reporter.**

 _Aww, thanks, babe,_ he said back, then turned his attention once again to Buckley. “Yes, I am,” he said with a smile, holding out his hand.

Buckley shook it with enthusiasm, a wide smile breaking over his handsome face. Up close Eddie could see more clearly the birthmark that had marked him as a potential target for Delaware. Eddie vowed to make sure that Delaware never got his hands on it. “I never thought I’d run into you of all people tonight,” Buckley said, twisting on his bar stool to better face Eddie. “What brings you to LA?”

“I’m following a lead,” Eddie said, taking a sip of his coke. 

Buckley looked interested. “Wow, really?”

“Yeah. I can’t say much about it but it’ll be a big story when it breaks.”

“Well, I’ll be sure to keep an eye out for it.”

“So, what about you?” Eddie asked. He saw Buckley’s confused look and clarified, “What brings you out tonight?”

“Oh, I’m uh, here with some work friends.” He hooked a thumb over his shoulder.

“So you came out with friends but instead you’re sitting at the bar alone?”

“I’m talking to you, I’m not alone,” Buckley replied with a smirk. Then he shrugged. “Just needed a minute.”

“Let me guess, something reminded you of that rough night from a few months back?”

“Yeah.”

Eddie glanced over Buckley’s shoulder and then said, “Well, I’d ask if you wanted to talk about it but by the looks of it, your boyfriend is coming over here to kick my ass. He probably thinks I’m chatting you up.”

Buckley frowned and looked behind him, but to the opposite side of the room to where several of his colleagues, including Diaz were talking. It hadn’t taken much for Eddie to discover that not only were Buckley and Diaz best friends, but many people thought they were a couple. They weren’t but from his reaction, it wasn’t unheard of for people to assume that they were. “Wait, what?” he said when he didn’t see Diaz approaching.

Eddie nudged Buckley’s shoulder and tilted his chin in the opposite direction to where Delaware was making his way through the crowd.

“You mean Carl?” Buckley shook his head. “Nah, man, he’s not my boyfriend.”

“From the looks of it, he _wants_ to be,” Eddie said.

Buckley waved off the observation. “We only just met. We hardly know each other.”

“I don’t think that matters.” Eddie drained the last of his coke and then stood up, wanting to be gone before Delaware reached them. He doubted that he’d recognise him but why take the risk. “Okay, man, I’m off. It was nice meeting you.”

“Yeah, you too,” Buckley said, flashing him his megawatt smile again. “Good luck with your investigation.”

“Thanks. You never know, maybe we’ll run into each other again. Catch you.” He turned his back on Delaware, knowing that Venom would be watching, and then made his way over to the exit, pushing out the door and into the cool night air. 

**“Are we not staying?”** Venom asked.

“Nah,” Eddie muttered. “Delaware won’t make a move tonight, it’s too soon.”

**“But he’s escalating. The time between victims is getting shorter.”**

“It is and I’m sure that he’ll strike soon but Buckley is safe enough. He arrived with Diaz and I think he’ll leave with him too. No, Delaware will try to get him alone somewhere, he’ll want everything to be perfect when he makes his move.”

**“So we’re done then”**

“For tonight, yeah.”

 **“Excellent. That means I can get** **_you_ ** **alone then.”**

Eddie laughed. “You’re wanting a little time with me, babe?”

 **“I** **_always_ ** **want time with you, Eddie, but right now I believe we had some exploring to do regarding me being a** **_galactic sized pain in your ass.”_ **

Eddie swallowed hard even as his pulse quickened. “Right, well, let’s get on that then. Taxi!”

oOoOo

Eddie Diaz 

Eddie sat at the table, a scowl plastered on his face as he watched Buck dance with Delaware. The creep had been all over Buck for the whole night and what stung the most was that Buck didn’t seem to mind. They were currently pressed chest to chest on the dance floor, Delaware’s hands on Buck’s hips, dipping every now and then to cup the swell of his ass. Buck had been periodically returning to the table but he never stayed long, he just had a drink, invited everyone up with him, and then he was gone once more. Even the fact that his eyes lingered on Eddie and he seemed to be asking _him_ specifically to dance didn’t help. Eddie just wanted Buck to stop dancing with Delaware, to come and sit by him so they could talk and laugh, so they could spend time together.

Instead he stayed in the booth while people came and went, joining the others for a dance. He wondered if he’d be able to convince Buck to head off soon but from the looks of it, he was having way too much fun to want to call it a night just yet.

“You need to tell him how you feel.”

Eddie looked over to see Karen had come back from the bar, a new drink in hand. He leaned in and said, “Sorry, what?”

“I said, you need to tell him how you feel,” she repeated, shuffling along the bench to be closer. “Don’t even try to deny it,” she said, cutting him off when he was about to protest. “No one’s resting bitch face is that scary and Carl’s had his hands on your boy all night.”

He sighed and wondered if talking about it would even help. “If I tell you something, do you promise not to tell Hen?”

Karen gave him a pointed look. “Eddie, I love my wife dearly but I know that whatever she knows, Chim knows, and whatever Chim knows, Maddie knows. I do not make a habit of blabbing personal secrets to her - your secret is safe with me.”

He gave her a grateful smile. “Okay, so here’s the thing - he kind of already knows.”

“Really? Buck knows how you feel?” She looked surprised.

Eddie felt like squirming in his seat. “Yeah, after a night out a few months back he kissed me, and well, I kissed him back.”

“So...why are you not together?” she asked.

“It’s complicated,” he admitted with a grimace. “Look, nobody in my life stays. Whether it be romantic relationships, my family, friends - over time they all leave. Sure, I still see my family back in Texas from time to time but my mom and dad, they tried to take Christopher from me. It really put a strain on our relationship. I can’t count on them to be there for me, just like I couldn’t count on Shannon. It’s just Christopher and I.”

Karen shook her head. “Eddie, you know that’s not true. You have everyone here, and your aunt and grandma..”

“No, Karen, I don’t, not permanently. A little while ago, Buck freaked out that he was going to be left alone. He’d met an old firefighter called Red who had lost contact with all his old crew, even though they’d all vowed to stick together. The thing is, Buck wasn’t the only one feeling that way; I was too. I still am. I have you guys now but eventually, it’ll just be Chris and I. I guess in the end he’ll grow up and leave me too. My abuela and tia are getting on in years, and well, it’s not like we’re the same generation. It's not that connection I need.” He looked down at the table and traced a finger over the condensation on his glass. “I know that Buck loves me, and I know that I love him but even if we’re good together, it’ll end some day and then he’ll leave, like they all do. I can’t do that, can’t know what it was like to have him and then watch him walk away.”

“Leaving aside the fact that I _don’t_ think Buck would ever leave you,” Karen said, “why then watch him walk away at all? Would you not fight to keep him?”

He huffed. “We both know that forcing someone to stay never ends well. It just breeds resentment. It’s not just that though - I’d be risking our whole friendship and I can’t allow that. Buck means the world to me, I can’t lose him, and if having him as my best friend is all I ever get to have to guarantee that he’ll be there, then I’ll make that sacrifice.”

“Eddie, I love you but you’re such an idiot,” Karen said lovingly. “Friendships fall apart for other reasons too. Look what nearly happened during the lawsuit! That’s not a valid reason to not take the chance.”

“There’s also the fact that we work together.”

“There’s paperwork for that.”

“And when we break up?”

 _“If_ you break up.”

He gave her a level look. “When the inevitable happens it’ll make working together awkward as fuck.”

“And _if_ it happens that could be years down the line. You really expect to be working at the same fire house for the rest of your life, boy?” Karen shook her head. “Eddie, these are all reasons but I don’t think they’re big enough obstacles to stop you from being happy.” She looked over to the dance floor where Buck was still dancing. Delaware was behind him now, hands low on his hips, Buck's back to Delaware's chest, and they were moving sensuously together. “That there is the best thing that’s ever gonna happen to you other than your son. If you dither dather about and don’t take a chance, you’re gonna lose him. He’s lonely and he’s not gonna wait forever. Someone else, maybe Carl, maybe some other person, is going to end up as the consolation prize but let me tell you something - they ain’t gonna feel like they came second. You just gotta take that leap of faith, believe that Buck isn’t going anywhere, that he’ll catch you.”

Could it really be that simple? Was Eddie _really_ overthinking all of this, making it all doom and gloom and ignoring the sunshine in his life? Because that was what Buck was - his sunshine. He made everything brighter, he gave Eddie energy, made him want to grow. He chased away the shadows and all aspects of Eddie’s life thrived when exposed to Evan Buckley.

Karen reached over and squeezed Eddie’s hand. “Just promise me that you’ll think about it.”

He nodded. “I will, I definitely will. Thanks, Karen.”

“Anytime, Eddie - that’s what family is for.”

Maybe he also needed to start exploring the idea that his found family weren’t going to leave him either. It was harder to believe than just Buck staying for good but the seed had been planted now. In time, with water and enough sunshine, it might just grow into a fully fledged belief.

oOoOo

Eddie Diaz continued 

Eddie had spent the rest of his days off pondering Karen’s advice. He’d even raised the topic tentatively with Carla, who also told him that he was an idiot and he needed to get his act together. It appeared that the women in his life didn’t think highly of Eddie’s intelligence. 

He’d finally decided that he was ready to give this a go - but he needed to speak to Chris about it as well. Buck was a massive part of Christopher’s life too and although he was only eleven, Eddie wanted his blessing before he went ahead. He figured that once he’d spoken to Christopher, he could then have a much needed heart to heart with Buck. And really, why wait?

So with a plan in mind (talk to Christopher when he got home from his 24 hour shift. Sleep. Talk to Buck.), Eddie headed into the station for his shift.

He found Buck in the locker room and he joined him as they stuffed their bags in their lockers. “Hey,” he greeted him, then nodded at Chim who was across the room next to Delaware.

“Oh, hi, Eddie.” Buck wasn't his normal chirpy self and a wave of guilt washed over Eddie because he knew that that was his fault. He’d been rather withdrawn since their night out, busy thinking, but he knew that to Buck, it would look like Eddie was sulking. To be fair, normally he would have been after having to watch Buck flirt outrageously with another man for a whole night, but this time he’d honestly just been distracted by his thoughts. 

“Um, what are you doing tomorrow night?” he asked, hoping that he wouldn't choke on his heart that had made its way up into his throat.

Buck thought for a moment. “Nothing, I don’t think. Why?”

He was keenly aware of Chim and Delaware watching him. “I was wondering if you, uh, wanted to have dinner?” he stammered.

“Dinner? Really?”

The flash of hope in Buck’s eyes was like a rainbow after a spring shower so of course, Eddie had to go and ruin it completely. “Yeah, I know Chris has wanted to play that new game you bought him and I figured that maybe we could get pizza or something.”

Buck deflated immediately. “Oh, pizza, right. With you and Chris.”

“Do you not wanna come?”

Buck shook his head, “No it’s not that at all, I just thought that when you said dinner…”

“You thought I meant a date,” Eddie finished for him, his brain refusing to send the words to his mouth to explain that he hoped that this would _lead_ to dinner dinner.

“It’s fine, don’t stress,” Buck said, waving a hand as if to dispel the awkwardness that had fallen over them.

‘No, Buck, you don’t und -”

“Eddie, it’s fine,” Buck cut him off. “I’ll come over. You know I love hanging out with you and Chris.”

Eddie sighed. He’d really fucked that up, not explaining at all what he meant - that he wanted to talk about them becoming a _them_. Delaware was over in the corner _smirking_ at him and it was taking every ounce of self control not to punch him in his smug face. At least Buck had agreed to come over so Eddie would be able to explain without the worry of someone joining their conversation. Like Chim and Delaware were. Right now. “Alright, I’ll be sure to order your favourite pizza then,” he said lamely.

Delaware swaggered right up to Buck like he was God’s gift to sexually confused firefighters, getting right in his personal space. “Hey, Buck,” he drawled. “Are you free on Saturday night? I thought maybe I could take you out, wine and dine you, treat you the way you deserve.” He was as bold as brass, announcing it like it was nothing in front of the others, like he had absolute confidence that Buck wouldn’t turn him down. 

And maybe Eddie should have tried to actually explain in grown up words why he wanted Buck to come over because Buck threw a quick glance his way before replying, “Sure, I’d love to. It’s not like I’ve got anyone else wanting to take me out to dinner.”

“Excellent,” Delaware said. his hand coming down to linger on Buck’s wrist. “I’ll pick you up at eight.” 

Eddie’s heart shattered.


	5. Chapter 5

Buck

Buck hardly slept after he got off shift. 24 hours had never felt so long before. He had spent the entire time acutely aware of both Eddie and Carl and their vastly different moods. Carl was cheerful and boisterous, laughing and joking between calls and flirting outrageously with Buck every chance he got. Eddie spent the entire shift withdrawn and sombre, looking like someone had kicked his puppy. 

Buck was torn over his own feelings. He _knew_ that Eddie was upset because Buck had agreed to go on a date with Carl. He understood it, in a way. Eddie had never denied his feelings for Buck, or the attraction; he _wanted_ to be with Buck, he just wasn’t allowing it because of what he perceived to be roadblocks. Jealousy was a fickle thing so even though he couldn’t be with Buck, Eddie didn’t seem to want him to be with anyone else. 

The last thing in the world that Buck wanted to do was hurt Eddie. He loved him too much for that but Buck also couldn’t just put his life on hold until Eddie pulled his head out of his ass. Did he want something serious with Carl? Not particularly. And even though he’d left Buck 1.0 in the dust long ago, it didn't mean that he was only looking for a long term relationship. He couldn’t see himself and Carl growing old together but he could see them having fun together for several months or more. Buck’s heart wasn’t really up for grabs but somebody who offered companionship, a human connection, and great sex was more than enough to fill the lonely, aching gap inside of him. The fact that Carl was smoking hot, funny, and understood the job made him the perfect candidate.

The only problem that he could see with the whole scenario was that he worked with Carl. Which meant that _Eddie_ worked with Carl. The two hadn't gotten on from the start, mostly because of Carl’s very open interest in Buck. If they started something then Eddie was not only likely to be hurt, but it would probably make things awkward at work. The animosity he directed Carl’s way already was bad enough but if he knew that Carl was fucking Buck? Yeah, he couldn't see Eddie keeping a lid on his jealousy at all. 

So Buck needed to figure out if it was worth trying something with Carl beyond this first date or not. The things he could get from Carl he could probably find somewhere else easily enough, though that would probably mean a dating app or trying to pick someone up at a bar and that was skirting dangerously close to behaviours he’d long put behind him. But perhaps it wasn’t worth all of the heartache to try something with Carl? Maybe he could ask Maddie to find someone to set him up with? He frowned and wondered if Josh was still available? They’d gotten on well enough and Josh was super cute, but Buck had a feeling that Josh was looking for something more deep and meaningful than a casual, but monogamous, friends with benefits type of fling. He was a great guy and Buck didn’t want to unintentionally break his heart. 

The other option was to simply to not date at all. At the end of the day he wanted Eddie and only Eddie. If he couldn’t have him in that way, maybe he should simply be happy with what he could have which was essentially a sexless marriage if he was honest about it. They already spent most of their spare time together, he was pretty much a co-parent to Christopher, and they told each other all their secrets and had each other’s backs. The only thing that was really missing was the sexual component and the fact that Buck didn't technically live with them (though he spent more nights than not at the Diaz house). Eddie was pretty affectionate already and Buck thought he could probably up the ante a little but would that just leave him wanting more? Or could he be satisfied with hugs, casual touches, and the odd couch cuddles when they fell asleep together?

Buck’s mind kept spinning and by midday he gave up on getting any sleep and got himself out of bed. He put the coffee pot on and while he was waiting for it to brew, checked his social media accounts. He liked a few of Maddie’s posts, messaged Carla and saved the photos of Christopher she sent him, and caught up on local news. He was just pouring a cup of coffee when his phone pinged with a message.

**12:24pm Carl: Saw you active on IG - couldn’t sleep either huh?**

Buck snorted and wrote back.

**12:25pm Buck: You stalking me? ;-)**

**12:25pm Carl: Nah, just lurking with intent ;-)**

**12:26 Buck: lol creep :P Nah, couldn’t sleep. I’ll just have to have an early night tonight.**

**12:27 Carl: Actually, tonight is what I’m texting you about.**

**12:27 Buck: ??? I’m heading round to Eddie’s tonight for pizza.**

**12:29 Carl: The thing is, my folks just rang to let me know they’ll be in town on the weekend. I was hoping that maybe we could reschedule our date to tonight instead?**

**12:31pm Buck: Um, I dunno, man. I don’t want to let Eddie’s kid down.**

**12:32 Carl: It’s cool, I get it. I was just really looking forward to spending some time with you without your ball and chain.**

Buck frowned.

**12:33 Buck: What’s that supposed to mean?**

**12:35 Carl: Look, I get it, you and Diaz are close but he kinda has you chained to the kitchen sink. If you’re already involved just say so and I’ll back off. He already dislikes me, I don’t want him to hate me because I stole what’s his.**

**12:36 Buck: I’m not ‘his’.**

**12:37 Carl: Has anyone told him that?**

As blunt and brutal as that was, Buck couldn't deny that there was a ring of truth to it. Eddie was definitely acting like Buck was stepping out on him and he really had no right to. Finally being pushed to breaking point, Buck replied.

**12:39 Buck: You know what, sure, let’s reschedule to tonight. Same time?**

**12:41 Carl: How about I pick you up a little earlier, say 6? That way I’ll get you home in time for your beauty sleep. Not that you need it :-***

**12:42 Buck: Flattery will get you everywhere ;-) See you tonight.**

He took a breath and then opened a text to Eddie. There was no way that he was gonna let Eddie know _why_ he was bailing on him and Christopher, since he definitely would be less happy with Buck than he already was. Of course, that meant _lying_ to Eddie and that didn't sit well with him. Given that he had pretty much come to the decision that this thing with Carl wouldn’t go past this one date, he figured a small white lie wouldn’t hurt. Maybe he could let Eddie stew in his jealousy and then next week he could tell him that the date didn't go well. Perhaps by then, Eddie might have had a change of mind?

**12:47 Buck: So I’m not feeling the best, woke up with an upset stomach so I’m gonna give tonight a miss. Hope we can reschedule to when I’m feeling better.**

**12:51 Eddie: I’ll let Christopher know. Do you need me to bring you anything? Tums? Paracetamol? TP?**

**12:53 Buck: Nah, I’ve got everything I need and I don’t want to risk getting you or Chris sick.**

**12:54 Eddie: Okay, well make sure you stay home if you’re still sick tomorrow. We’ll manage.**

**12:55 Buck: Hopefully it’s just a 24 hour thing, but I’ll let you know. Give Chris a big hug from me.**

**12:56 Eddie: Will do. Feel better soon, let me know if you do end up needing anything x**

Buck sat staring at the little x on the screen for way too long, over analysing. They were best friends but they didn't usually sign off their texts with kisses. What did it mean? Was it an accidental keyboard smash? A thoughtless action? A deliberate kiss better? _What did it mean?_

He still hadn’t figured it out by late afternoon and he was starting to go crazy so he jumped in the shower, figuring that he could distract himself by getting ready for his date a little early. He was just drying his hair when there was a knock at the door. A glance at the clock told him it was too early for it to be Carl and a flutter of panic shot through him when it occurred to him that it might be Eddie, bringing him supplies for his ‘sick day’. 

Buck snuck down the stairs as quietly as possible and crept over to the door. A second knock rang out and he figured that if it _was_ Eddie, he’d have used his key by now. He peeked through the peephole anyway and was struck dumb for a moment. It was an Eddie but not _his_ Eddie.

Eddie Brock was outside his apartment.

oOoOo

Eddie Brock and Venom 

**Something must be wrong,** Venom hissed inside Eddie’s mind as they waited in the hallway outside of Buckley’s apartment.

 _Calm down,_ he told his symbiote. _He got off a 24 hour shift this morning, he might still be asleep. Give him a minute._

**I could easily break down the door. We should check on him and make sure that he is okay.**

Eddie grinned, finding it adorable that Venom was so worried about Buckley. They’d only been following Delaware and by extension, Buckley, for just over a week now but it had been enough time for Venom to discover that he _liked_ the firefighter. Eddie did too - the man was wholesome and good and that was in short supply these days. Neither of them wanted Delaware to get his hands on him.

_V, settle. We’ll give him another minute and then we can explore our options._

It was then that a shadow passed over the peephole and Eddie tried to look casual. The door swung open and Buckley greeted them with a wary expression. “So...this doesn't feel like a coincidence,” he said. He’d obviously just gotten out of the shower. He was dressed in nice jeans and a fitted button down shirt but he was barefoot and his hair was damp and mussed.

Eddie shook his head. “That’s because it isn’t. I need to talk to you, may I come in?”

Buckley stood aside to let Eddie pass and he took a moment to look around the compact little apartment. It was neat and tidy but still filled with personal touches. A bike hung on the wall, the fridge was covered in a child’s drawings, and a stack of DVDs were piled on the coffee table. “Can I get you a drink?” Buckley offered.

Eddie shook his head. “No, I’m okay thanks. Maybe we could sit though?”

Buckley frowned again. “Right, this is a sitting conversation. Should I be worried?”

 **Yes,** Venom said silently.

 _V, please. Save the commentary._ To Buckley he said, “Unfortunately, yes, you should, Evan.”

“Buck, please, I prefer Buck.” He ushered them into the living area and the couch there. “So, what’s going on.”

“When I saw you at the bar the other night, I wasn't lying - I _am_ investigating a case,” Eddie explained. “Do the names Kegan Woods, Rory Butler, Keith Rivera, Jack Beattie, and Nolan Jennings mean anything to you?”

Buck’s brow creased. “Jennings, yeah - he was a firefighter wasn’t he? I’m sure I saw on the news that he was found dead on a hiking trail?”

Eddie nodded. “He was.”

“How did he die?”

“He was murdered. They all were. They were held first, sometimes for up to three months before their bodies were found.” Eddie took a deep breath before explaining the rest. “All five men were firefighters, they were all tall, blonde, good looking, and each of them had a very distinguishing feature.” He looked pointedly at Buck’s birthmark.

“Wait, what? What are you saying?” Buck asked, his hand flying up to touch his birthmark. “Are you saying that you think I’m _next?”_

“I’m sorry to be so blunt but yeah, yeah I do.”

Buck stood up and began to pace. “Let me get this straight - you’re investigating a _serial killer_ and you think I’m the next intended victim because of my _birthmark?”_

“And your occupation and your description fits his MO.”

He paused and ran a hand through his hair. It was starting to dry and was curling adorably. “You’re sure?”

Eddie tried to pour all of his conviction into the look he gave Buck. “I’m certain.”

Buck drummed his fingers on his thigh and looked out of the open window for a long moment but then he nodded and sat back down. “Okay then, who is it? What do I do?”

“Wait...you believe me?” Eddie was rarely surprised anymore but this managed to. He’d expected to have to spend hours convincing Buck, showing him the evidence, the police reports, all of it. He didn’t expect Buck to simply take him for his word.

“You’re Eddie fucking Brock, man. You exposed the Life Foundation. Your fights with the networks to expose the very worst of humanity, despite them being rich or influential is legendary. If you say that some killer is after me then I believe you.”

“Wow, okay, great. That saves us some time.” He gave him a genuine smile.

“So, who is it?”

This was where it could all go wrong but Eddie wasn’t going to beat around the bush now. “Carl Delaware.”

Buck raised a brow. “Seriously? You mean the Carl that I have a date with tonight?”

Eddie frowned. “That’s tonight? I thought it was on Saturday?”

Buck tilted his head. “How do you know about that? Wait, never mind - you’re Eddie fucking Brock.”

**Damn right you are!**

_Your endless support of me always warms my heart, love._

With a sigh, Buck continued, “Yeah, it was supposed to be on Saturday but he messaged me this morning and asked if we could reschedule to tonight instead. I had to cancel plans with Eddie but he convinced me.”

“He’s clever,” Eddie said. “Let me guess, several people knew that you had plans with Diaz tonight?”

Buck nodded. “Yeah, we arranged it at the start of our shift yesterday.”

“That confirms my suspicions then that he was planning on attacking you on your date. It’s like this - he waits until you’ve got plans that several people are aware of. He asks you out, makes it a different day. Then when no one else is around, he changes his plans with you, then he takes you. To everyone else, you’ve disappeared the night that you were supposed to be with Diaz. The first person the cops will question is Diaz, and since Delaware technically hasn’t even had a date with you yet, plus the fact that he’s only worked with you for such a short period of time, well, that lowers suspicions of him even more.”

“Son of a bitch.” Buck looked devastated. “He’s going to try and set up Eddie.” He looked up. “My Eddie I mean.”

“Look, Delaware is escalating. He’s moving faster, getting sloppy. We can work with that, maybe even bait him, try and set him up so we can take him down. I’m not gonna lie - it’ll be dangerous but I think it’s our best chance. I’ve had no luck convincing the cops about this guy so we’re on our own. You with me?”

Buck chewed on his bottom lip for a moment and then nodded. “Yeah, yeah I’m in.”

“Great. Now, we need to catch him off guard and we’ll need some time to get a plan organised. I need you to phone him and cancel tonight, come up with some excuse and ask to reschedule.”

Buck turned to look at the clock on the wall. “Uh, that could be a problem.”

“Why?” Eddie asked. “Isn’t he getting you at 7? It’s only 6 now.”

There was a knock at the door and both their heads whipped around to look at it. “The day wasn’t the only thing that changed,” Buck said softly.

 **Plan B?** Venom asked silently.

 _Not just yet,_ Eddie cautioned. _I don’t want to tip Delaware off that we’re onto him._ He looked to Buck. “You need to send him away, tell him you’ve had a family emergency, just get him gone.”

Buck nodded. “Okay. Wait here, he shouldn’t be able to see you from the door.” 

Eddie listened as Buck made his way to the door and heard him greet Delaware. “Carl, hi.”

“Hey, gorgeous. Am I early? You don’t look quite ready to go yet.”

“Sorry, I had a call from my sister, she’s come down ill and needs me to check up on her. I’m really sorry, but I’m going to have to reschedule.”

There was a pause. “That’s a shame, I was looking forward to tonight a lot.”

“Uh, yeah, um, so was I.” Eddie winced a little as it didn't sound too convincing. “I really am sorry.”

“Oh, Buck, so am I.”

“What does that -?”

There was a thump and it sounded suspiciously like a body hitting the floor and then the door was slamming closed. Eddie was moving instantly and he rounded the corner to see Delaware inside the apartment and Buck on the ground, his whole body jerking and quivering. Delaware saw Eddie and gave him a shark-like grin. “I knew he was lying. I should have known he’d have company.”

“Look man, you really don’t want to start anything with me,” Eddie said calmly. “Just step away from Buck and we can talk this out. No one needs to get hurt.”

Delaware gave Eddie a slow once over. “I think,” he said, “that today is my lucky day. Looks like it’s the two for one special.”

“Yeah, that’s not gonna happen.”

“Oh, I rather think it will.”

Delaware held up a small device that Eddie hadn’t noticed and he pressed a button. Instantly his entire body seized and he couldn’t move, could hardly breathe, and inside of him, Venom was screaming. Gravity pulled Eddie down and he hit the floor hard but he couldn’t even raise an arm to break his fall. Venom was still screaming inside his head, blocking out everything else and Eddie felt them being ripped apart from the inside. He let out a small whimper, the only thing that he could manage and his eyes rolled back as he saw Delaware approach. 

“There have been such wonderful advancements in technology recently. This is a LRAD - a Long Range Acoustic Device - but they’ve been improved from the ones police use to break up protests. This one uses a special frequency to paralyse you without the ear splitting noise that would tell everyone in a ten block radius that I was using it. It’s a lot more directional, you can aim it much better, and it works perfectly in times like these. So you see, today really _is_ my lucky day.” 

Eddie felt Delaware nudge him with his foot and then he was gone and from what Eddie could hear, he was picking Buck up and then the door opened and closed. 

_V?_ he tried to ask in their mind. 

Silence.

_V? Come on, love, please, answer me._

**Eeeeddie?** It was so quiet, barely a whisper. **Hurts, Eddie.**

_I know, babe, I know. Look, we’re barely hanging onto each other as it is and I don’t want you to get hurt more. You gotta let go, babe. You gotta let go and find someone who can come help._

**Won’t leave you.**

_Venom, please, it’s our only chance. I need you to be safe, I need you to come and find me._

**But we are one.**

_I know, but for a little while we have to be two, okay. It’s the only way. I know you’ll come find me, I know you will. You’ll always find me._ He could feel the hesitation. _V, you can do this, we can do it. I know you’ll find me._

**I will. I’ll come for you, Eddie.**

_I love you, V, I love you so much._

**I love you, Eddie. Keep Buck safe, I’ll find you.**

And then he was gone and Eddie could just see a dark mass slipping away under the couch. He felt hollow and empty, like his literal heart had been ripped from his chest but as much as he wanted to scream and cry, he couldn’t. He heard the door open once more and then Delaware was next to him and hoisting him bodily up from the floor. His head lolled on his shoulder as his neck muscles completely refused to support him and as Delaware carried him out through the front door he just caught sight of a small black tendril, reaching longingly for him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The LRAD wasn't going to work exactly how I wanted it to so I kinda morphed it with Stark tech from iron Man :D


	6. Chapter 6

Eddie Diaz 

Eddie sat on the couch, his lower lip firmly between his teeth, his phone in his lap. It lay open on his recent messages with Buck and he couldn’t help but look down and re-read them every now and then. He didn't know why but something felt _off_ about Buck’s message. Sure, he could be sick but that had come on awfully sudden and things like that were usually highly contagious. Hen had posted on her Instagram account a photo of herself and the kids at the park, and Maddie had tagged Chim in a post about a swimming lesson for Ava and he doubted that they’d be out and about if they were under the weather. Eddie spent the most time with Buck out of anyone on the job and he was feeling perfectly fine. No, there was something niggling at the back of his mind. Something was off.

He sat brooding over it for most of the afternoon before finally coming to a decision. He called Josephina and asked her if she could take Christopher for the night and like the saint that she was, she agreed instantly. 

“Hey buddy,” Eddie said, standing in the doorway to Christopher’s room. His son was playing with two of the dinosaurs that Buck had bought him when they’d gone to the natural history museum. “Something’s come up so I’m going to drop you off at Pepa’s for the night, okay.”

Christopher frowned. “Does it have something to do with Buck not coming round?”

Eddie nodded. “Yeah, yeah it does.”

“Okay then.”

He didn't know how he'd gotten so damn lucky with his boy. He pulled him into a big hug and then helped pack a bag. He stopped by the medicine cabinet on the way to the car and grabbed some medication for Buck on the off chance that he actually was sick and then they were driving across town to Josephina’s house. She greeted them with hugs and kisses and then she was shooing Eddie off, greedily hustling Christopher into the house so she could spoil her favourite great-nephew with his favourite meal for dinner. Eddie just smiled, told them both he loved them, then started for Buck’s.

Buck’s car was in its reserved space at the front of the apartment complex and Eddie parked close by when he arrived at quarter past six. He punched in the code to the front of the building and then let himself in, hurrying up the stairs. Different aromas wafted from the apartments and he wondered if Buck had eaten yet. Maybe when he figured out what was going on with him they could grab something to eat. 

He reached Buck’s front door and knocked out of courtesy but he didn't wait for long before he was using his key to head inside. As he crossed the threshold he paused, immediately sensing that things weren’t right. The potted fern by the door had been tipped over and one of the barstools in the kitchen was lying on its side. “Buck?” he called, stepping cautiously inside the apartment. There was no response. “Buck, it’s Eddie. Are you here?”

Eddie darted up the stairs to check the bedroom but the bed was neatly made and undisturbed. The door to the bathroom was open and the light was on but there was no Buck inside. He headed back down the stairs and then went into the small living area, his eyes searching everywhere. The coffee table was out of alignment, looking like it had been shoved a foot or so backwards and there were several DVDs spilled over the floor. “Buck?” he called again but his chest had tightened because it was clear that he wasn’t here. Buck was gone.

Eddie froze as something touched his ankle and slowly he looked down, trying to see what it was. The light wasn’t on in the living room and with the sun getting low, deep shadows had been cast across the room. One of the shadows appeared to be moving and it slowly wound its way around his calf, inching upwards. “What the fuck?” he whispered, readying himself to pull whatever it was off him as soon as it got within range of his hands. 

And then it was gone, sinking through the denim of his jeans. Eddie quickly patted himself down, feeling for what it was but there was nothing there. Had he been imagining the whole thing? Maybe it was just a trick of the light and his messed up head making him see things that weren’t there. Was the stress of finding Buck gone making him have a flashback?

He took in several deep breaths, willing himself to calm down and then once again patted over his jeans. There was definitely nothing there. He fished his phone out of his pocket and hit Buck’s number, listening for the sound of a phone ringing in the apartment. It was silent. The call rang out and soon Buck’s husky voice was asking him to leave a message. Maybe Buck was out with someone? Maybe he’d been picked up and that was why his car was still here. That didn't explain the state of the apartment though. Keeping his voice as steady as possible, Eddie said, “Buck, it’s me. Just wanting to make sure you’re okay. Let me know if I can bring you those Tums.” 

Maybe he needed to call Athena. She’d be able to confirm if the situation was suspicious or not. He scrolled through to her number and was about to press it when a voice inside his head cried, **No!**

“What the actual fuck?” Eddie yelled, jumping a foot in the air, head whipping around to see who had spoken. “Who’s there?”

**Do not call the police woman.**

“What the hell? Who are you? Show yourself!”

**That is not a good idea. It...unsettles people.**

The voice was _definitely_ coming from inside of his head. This was the freakiest fucking flashback that Eddie had ever had even though he’d never heard that voice before and had no idea where his brain was plucking it from.

**I am not a flashback, Edmundo. I am real.**

Eddie couldn't help but twist and turn, trying to see where this person was hiding, trying to understand how they were projecting words into his very mind. “What the hell is going on? I’m going crazy,” he muttered. “There’s nothing _here.”_

The voice _sighed._ **Fine, but do not blame me when you freak out even more than you already are.**

And then something was _growing_ out of Eddie’s shoulder, a black, twisting mass that expanded and grew until a face, that was definitely a face, was hovering in front of him. Two large white eyes regarded him as a wide, toothy mouth pouted at him.

Wait, _pouted?_

“What the hell are you?” he whispered, rubbing at his eyes as if that would erase the...thing in front of him.

 **“I am Venom,”** it said, and Eddie got an even better look at the very sharp teeth that filled its mouth to overflowing. **“My preferred pronouns are he and him.”**

“Um...can you read my mind?”

**“Yes.”**

“Oh, God.”

**“Not a god, just a Klyntar.”**

“A what?”

**“It is the name of my species. We hail from very far away, across the galaxy.”**

No fucking way. “You’re saying that you’re a what? An alien? You’ve got to kidding, that’s insane!”

**“Do I look like I am kidding?”**

“You know what?” Eddie said, his whole body completely on board with his brain. “I can’t handle this right now. It’s too much.”

And he passed out.

oOoOo

Eddie Diaz and Venom 

**“Edmundo, wake up.”**

Eddie came awake with a gasp, looking around wildly. He was on the plush rug in Buck’s living room and for a long moment he couldn’t remember how he got there. 

Then it all came rushing back.

“Fuck. Fuck fuck fuckity fuck.”

 **“You need to calm down.”** Venom emerged again, watching Eddie with his big eyes.

“Calm down? _Calm down?_ Apparently I have an honest to goodness fucking _alien_ inside of me and you expect me to be as calm as Sigourney fucking Weaver?”

**“Eddie showed me Alien, I know what you’re referencing.”**

“Huh? What the hell are you talking about, I haven’t watched that movie in years.”

 **“Eddie, not you,** **_Edmundo._ ** **My Eddie.”**

Eddie pushed himself up off the rug and crawled onto the couch. “Okay, you need to back the fuck up a minute and explain from the beginning because I am so fucking confused.”

 **“You also use the word** **_fuck_ ** **very often.”**

_“I really think that in these circumstances that can be excused.”_

**“Are you capable of going five minutes without a meltdown so I can explain, Edmundo?”**

“Oh my God, stop calling me that! My name is Eddie!”

 **“No, Eddie is Eddie - you are not my Eddie and therefore you are** **_not_ ** **Eddie.”**

Eddie groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Okay, so who the hell is your Eddie and why the hell are you here? Can we start there at least?”

Venom huffed. **“I’ve been trying to explain but you’ve been too busy acting like a little pussy to listen!”**

“Really? Insults?”

 **“It seemed appropriate.”** Before Eddie could retort, Venom continued. **“Eddie is Eddie Brock, my other. He is an investigative reporter and we are here to stop a serial killer.”**

“Wait, what? You’re hunting a serial killer?”

**“Yes.”**

“Hang on, Eddie Brock, I’ve heard of him.”

 **“He is an award winning journalist,”** Venom said proudly.

“Right. And he’s your...other?”

**“Yes. Several years ago myself and several of my kind were brought to Earth by Carlton Drake.”**

“He was that Life Foundation guy, yeah? Real bad guy?”

**“Yes.”**

“Whatever happened to him.”

 **“As I was saying, he brought several Klyntar to Earth and attempted to bond us with different humans. We are by nature symbiotic and to function at our full capacity, we need to bond with a host. Not all hosts are the same however, and with many the bond is rejected, causing the death of one or both of the pair. Eddie found me when he came to investigate Drake. My current host was rejecting me so I bonded with Eddie. He is...perfect. We have been together ever since. I turned on my own kind to prevent an invasion of Earth, choosing Eddie over my whole race. Together we stopped Drake and a Klyntar by the name of Riot and the rocket they were on exploded, killing both of them. I saved Eddie and almost died in the process but I found my way back to him. I** **_always_ ** **find my way back to him and I will now too. With your help.”**

“Okay, so that’s a lot to take in. What makes you think that I’m going to help you though?”

**“Because the man who took Eddie also took Buck and if we don’t find them, he’s going to kill them.”**

Eddie jumped to his feet. _“What?”_

 **“I** **_told_ ** **you, we’re after a serial killer.”**

“You didn't tell me you’d _found_ him!”

A sadness fell over Venom and Eddie could feel it thrumming through him. It was disconcerting to say the least. **“We came to warn Buck that Delaware was going to strike on their date but we didn't know they’d changed the date to tonight. He arrived unexpectedly and Eddie and I were separated. He took both of them.”**

“You’re saying that Carl Delaware is a serial killer?” Eddie asked, aghast.

**“Yes. He has killed five people so far.”**

The rest of what Venom said caught up with Eddie and his legs gave way and he collapsed on the couch. “They were going on a date tonight?”

**“That is what Buck said.”**

“So he wasn’t sick?” Eddie gave a heartbreaking half laugh, half sob. “He cancelled on me so he could go on a date with Delaware.” It hurt so much that his whole chest ached.

Venom swung closer to Eddie and he looked...sympathetic? **“You love him? Buck? That is why you are sad?”**

Eddie’s eyes stung and he blinked back tears. “Yeah, yeah I do but I fucked it up. I missed my chance and I was hoping to get another but it looks like Delaware beat me to it.”

**“To be fair, I don’t think Buck will still want to date him now.”**

A hysterical giggle bubbled up from Eddie’s throat. “I really hope not. I know they say people like a bad boy but I can’t compete with a serial killer.”

**“We will get back your Buck and we will get back my Eddie and we will eat Delaware’s head, even if Eddie doesn’t want me to.”**

“Um...what? What’s this about eating someone’s head?”

**“Eddie has told me that I am allowed to eat the heads of very bad people.”**

“O...kay. I’m really hoping that that’s metaphorical.”

**“It is delicious.”**

Eddie felt sick but pushed that aside to deal with at a later date. “Okay, so what are we going to do? Have you got a plan? I can call Athena, get her here right away.”

**“No, do not call the police!”**

“Why not?”

**“Eddie and I have been tailing Delaware since we got here. We broke into his house but did not find a place where he could keep someone. He must have a second location. If we call the police, he might get suspicious and flee, or leave them to die. We can’t risk that, we need to continue following him.”**

“You really expect that he’s just going to keep going about his life like normal?”

**“Yes. He is very careful and very smart, which is why the police have said there isn't enough evidence to investigate him. It’s why we were doing it.”**

“So, what? We just pretend like nothing is wrong, that Buck isn’t missing and just wait for him to make a move?”

**“Exactly.”**

Eddie sighed and tried to corral his thoughts into something cohesive. His first instinct was still to call Athena but Venom seemed genuinely worried that if they tipped off Delaware at all then it could put Buck and Brock in danger. “Alright, fine, we’ll do it your way.”

**“I knew I could count on you, Edmundo.”**

“For crying out loud, don’t call me that!”

**“Fine. I knew I could count on you, Edward.”**

It was going to be a long night.

oOoOo

Buck 

Something was tapping at his face. Buck grimaced and tried to pull away but the tapping continued. His eyelids were heavy and he really didn’t want to open them because he was sure that the bone deep ache that he was feeling all over his body would somehow be worse if his eyes were open. He could tell that he was lying on a hard surface and he was also really, really cold, but otherwise he had no idea where he was.

“Buck? You with me, buddy?”

He frowned. Where did he know that voice from? He slowly peeled his eyes open and a face swam into view. Eddie Brock was crouching over him. Buck turned his head a little to see where they were and suddenly copped an eyeful of Brock’s junk. “Jesus fucking Christ,” he muttered, quickly averting his eyes.

“Sorry,” Brock said, not sounding remotely sorry at all. “Can’t be helped since we’re both naked.”

Buck scrambled to sit up at that pronouncement and found to his intense displeasure that he was indeed very naked. “Oh man, we totally are.”

Brock put a hand under Buck’s arm. “Come on, let’s get you up. The sooner you start moving, the less it’ll ache.”

Brock must have been hit with the same thing that Buck had been, which had not been pleasant at all. He allowed himself to be helped up and he stood, staring around the room that they were in. It was small, maybe 12 feet across, with brick walls, a cement floor, no window, and only one door. In the corner was a bucket, a case of bottled water, and several cans of food. A single, threadbare blanket was balled up next to the supplies. “This looks terrifying,” Buck muttered.

“I’ve checked the door already and it’s locked. Maybe the two of us will have more luck forcing it open but it’s unlikely.” Brock ran a hand through his hair. “Why the fuck did he have to use that device?”

Buck shrugged, trying to ignore the way the cold from the concrete floor was seeping through the soles of his feet. “I guess he figured it was the quietest way to subdue us? As much as it hurts, I think I’d rather this than a gun pointed to our heads - I’ve seen enough gunshot wounds to know they aren’t nice.”

Brock paced the room, his agitation growing. “If he had used a gun, we would have taken him easily, dammit. With that fucking thing we were separated and now you and I are stuck in here when normally we’d be able to bust out in a heartbeat.”

“What the hell are you talking about, man? You’re not making any sense, we’ve not been separated - we’re here together.”

“Not you and _me,_ me and Venom!” Brock turned to look at Buck and he was surprised to see that he was close to tears.

“Venom? Who’s that?” Buck asked.

“Just the other half of my soul,” Brock said brokenly. He rubbed at his eyes and then said, “I guess we’ve got nothing else to do. So, a few years ago I was investigating the Life Foundation…”

oOoOo

Eddie Brock 

He could tell that Buck didn’t believe him, not really. Eddie couldn't exactly blame him either - if someone had told him a few years ago about aliens living up people’s asses then he would have thought they were crazy as well. Buck looked like he _wanted_ to believe him though and maybe that was as good as he was going to get right now. “Look, he’s going to come for me and you can meet him then. For now just believe me when I say I’m not insane.”

Buck nodded and from where he was standing, Eddie could hear his teeth chattering. “Okay, man, deal. But if we get out of here and I don’t get to meet your scary, alien goo boyfriend, I won’t be happy with you.”

Eddie laughed. “Fair enough, man.” He eyed the shivering Buck with concern. “We need to warm up.”

“You don’t say?” Buck said through chattering teeth. 

“Look, you take the blanket. I’m a little bulkier than you so I’m not too cold.”

Buck gave him a derisive look. “Don’t be ridiculous, you’ll freeze. 101 of hypothermia survival is sharing body heat. We’re gonna cuddle.”

“Excuse me?”

“You heard me. Let’s put the blanket on the ground and get as much of a barrier between us and the concrete as we can. We should also empty the water out of the carton and put the plastic and the carboard beneath the blanket as well.” He got to work but Eddie wasn't quite able to move, still stuck on the ‘cuddling’ part. Buck paused as he was bent over the water and he shot Eddie a glare. “Look, man, I know this is weird but we’re stuck here with no clothes, no source of heat, and no way out. We do what we gotta do.”

Eddie missed Venom with an intensity in that moment that made his knees tremble. He was so used to having the symbiote to look after him that he felt absolutely lost without him. It was messing with his head and he really needed to get his act together. Buck was being totally rational and practical and Eddie needed to do the same. “Sure, sorry. Okay, which corner looks the warmest?”

Buck tilted his head to one side. “I reckon that one - it’s the farthest from the door so hopefully we’ll have some warning if Carl comes back.”

“Yeah, good plan.” 

They quickly got their sad excuse for a bed ready and Buck lay down with his back to the wall. He held open his arms. “Okay, come on.”

It was awkward, spooning with a naked man who was practically a stranger but the circumstances removed anything remotely erotic from the situation. Eddie pressed his back close against Buck’s chest, who wiggled around a little until Eddie felt the edge of the blanket tuck over their feet. “Hopefully that’ll stop us losing too much heat through them,” Buck murmured. 

Eddie nodded and crossed his arms over his chest, trying to keep as much warmth inside as he could. His own teeth were starting to chatter now and his skin was breaking out with goosebumps. “Thanks.”

“No worries. At least it should warm up when the sun comes up.”

“Pity there’s no window so we can’t see when that is,” Eddie muttered.

They fell silent for a while and Eddie assumed that Buck was thinking about his own loved ones and who he thought might come for him. If Eddie had to guess, it would probably be Diaz. They seemed more attached than regular best friends. He decided not to bring it up right now though. They were thrust together in an awkward enough situation as it was, no point making it worse by bringing up a subject that could be touchy. 

Little by little Buck’s breathing evened out and his body went lax against Eddie’s as he fell asleep. Eddie’s back warmed up which was nice but it also highlighted how cold the front of him was. He wondered if he could get away with turning over but being pressed front to front might be asking too much. He curled his legs up into his body as much as he could and willed sleep to take him. All he wanted to do was to get lost in his dreams where the arms he would be curled in would be Venom’s, where he would be safe and warm.

It took a long time but eventually he found his way there.


	7. Chapter 7

Eddie Diaz and Venom 

**“Where is the juvenile?”** Venom asked as Eddie dumped his keys, phone, and wallet on the kitchen counter.

“Christopher? How do you know about him?”

**“Have you forgotten already that I’m in your head? Besides Buck, Christopher is the one you think of the most.”**

Eddie blushed a little at that, knowing that Venom was privy to every thought he had. “He’s staying with my aunt, which has worked out for the best.”

 **“I would not hurt him,”** Venom said and he sounded half sad and half offended.

Eddie sighed. “I didn't say you would.”

**“But you were thinking it.”**

“Can you really blame me? This has been a lot to take in, okay. Excuse me for wanting to keep my son as far from this mess as possible.”

**“I would keep him safe.”**

“Like you kept Eddie safe?” Eddie felt Venom _flinch_ inside of him and he immediately felt terrible. “I’m sorry, that wasn’t nice of me. I didn’t mean it.”

Venom said nothing.

“Aww, c’mon, man, I’m sorry.”

Silence.

Eddie sighed again and rubbed at his eyes. “I am too strung out and tired to deal with this right now. I’m going to bed.”

He got no reply and so he went about his nightly routine, trying not to think about all the horrible things that Buck could be going through right now. They’d driven past Delaware’s house and found it empty which confirmed Brock and Venom’s suspicions that he was holding them at a secondary location. There was really nothing they could do now except keep to their plan which was to stick to Delaware like glue at work. Eddie felt helpless and he hated it, being used to being the one coming to the rescue and saving people. 

He slipped between the sheets and lay staring at the ceiling for a long time, his mind whirring despite him being exhausted. Eventually though he drifted off to sleep, a picture of Buck’s smile in his mind.

It was several hours later that Eddie jerked awake, hot, sweaty, and horny. A vivid dream lingered in his mind and to his horror, he realised that it was a dream about _Eddie Brock._ Now, Eddie could acknowledge that Brock was a fine specimen of a man, but having sex dreams about the man was not something he did. It took a moment as his foggy brain cleared of sleep for him to realise that it hadn’t been _his_ dream, but Venom’s. 

His first reaction was _eww._ Then he really thought about the underlying emotion that had been present throughout the dream and he realised that Venom was actually, truly in love with Eddie Brock. The eroticism of the dream had definitely been tinged with sorrow at being separated and fear that they wouldn’t find him in time. Venom was missing Brock like he had a hole in his heart and that was a sentiment that Eddie could empathise with, even if the...tentacle penetration wasn’t a kink of his.

“Venom?” he asked quietly.

He wasn’t sure if he was going to be ignored again but finally a small head coalesced from his shoulder. **“Yes?”** Venom said, just as quietly.

“You miss him, huh?”

Venom nodded, his pearlescent eyes downcast and despair oozing from him. **“Very much.”**

Tentatively, Eddie reached out and lay a hand on the back of Venom’s head. He wasn’t sure exactly what to expect but the skin wasn’t slimy and gooey but firm and smooth. “Hey, it’s okay, we’re going to get him back.”

**“But what if we don’t? What if I’m separated from him forever?”**

“That’s not gonna happen, okay? You’re gonna get your Eddie back and I’m going to get my Buck back and we’re gonna make sure that Delaware never hurts anyone else ever again.”

 **“Will we?”** He sounded so despondent that it broke Eddie’s heart. 

“Yes, we will. And I’m totally giving you permission to eat his head if that’s what will make you feel better.”

 **“Really?”** Venom asked, perking up.

“Really,” Eddie said, a little more vindictively than was probably healthy. 

**“I guess you’re not a bad host to be stuck with, Eduardo.”**

Eddie flopped back down onto his pillow. “Keep that up and I’ll recind my permission.”

**“No take backsies!”**

oOoOo

Eddie Diaz and Venom continued 

Walking into the station the next morning and having to pretend that everything was fine was one of the hardest things that Eddie had ever done in his life. Delaware hadn’t arrived yet so when Hen asked how pizza and a movie went with Buck, he managed to explain that Buck had come down ill and had texted to cancel without losing his cool. 

Hen frowned. “A stomach bug you say? Bobby didn’t say that he’s called in sick yet, I wonder if it was just something he ate?”

Eddie shrugged. “No idea. I phoned him last night to see if he needed anything but it went through to voicemail so I’m guessing he was sleeping? I haven’t heard from him since.”

“I bet Christopher was disappointed that he didn’t get to see his Buck,” Hen teased.

“Yeah, he was, but Pepa offered to have him come round for dinner and stay the night so that made up for it a little.”

Hen laughed. “No one cooks quite like Josephina.”

“So how did Denny’s dentist appointment go?” Eddie asked, hoping to switch to a more neutral subject.

It worked like a charm and Hen started telling him all about the dreaded appointment. By the time Delaware wandered in, she was explaining about her son’s epic battle with dental floss and how she was finding it all around the house. “I swear, there was two feet of the stuff under my pillow!” She looked over at the new arrival. “Hi, Carl,” she greeted him with a smile.

Eddie tried to school his face into something remotely pleasant but probably looked constipated instead. He settled for nodding in greeting.

“Hey guys, how is everyone today?” Delaware asked, as cool as a cucumber. 

“We’re good. How are you?” Hen answered.

“I’m good, I’m good.” He looked around the station. “Has anyone seen Buck? I need to talk about an idea I had for our date on Saturday.”

The smirk he threw Eddie’s way was the last straw. He stepped forward, his fist rising only to find himself frozen to the spot. His arm moved on its own accord and gave a dismissive wave. “Haven’t seen him yet,” he said, which weirded him out completely since _he hadn't spoken._ It appeared that Venom had more control over his body than he’d thought.

“Well I hope he arrives soon,” Delaware said, the picture of innocence. “I’m really excited to take him out, show him just how special he is.” He gave Eddie a wink. “Maybe I’ll even get lucky.”

 **You need to calm down,** Venom said inside his head. **Do not cause a scene!**

_What I need to do is punch this fucker in his stupid face!_

**Now is not the time!**

_Let me loose, I’m going to kill him!_

“You might have had a chance with Buck 1.0,” Hen said, slapping Carl playfully on the arm, “but Buck 2.0 won’t put out on the first date.”

“Oh, I dunno - I can be pretty convincing,” Delaware said with a leer.

“Not _that_ convincing,” Hen said, her smile faltering a little.

“Wanna bet?” Delaware said. “Everyone here likes a wager, don’t they? I bet you a hundred bucks that I’ll have Buck squirming on my cock by the end of the night.”

 **Okay, now** **_I_ ** **want to punch him. Let us go somewhere else.** Venom steered Eddie’s body and he was turning abruptly away and stalking towards the locker room. In the background he could hear Hen chastising Delaware for being inappropriate. 

As soon as Eddie had control of his body back, his hands balled into fists and he began pacing. “You should have let me at him!” he hissed.

**And what then? He figures out that we’re onto him and he leaves Eddie and Buck to die in some hole somewhere?**

“Or he figures that I think he’s a douche who deserves a punch to the face!”

“Eddie? You okay?”

He turned to see Bobby standing there and realised that he’d essentially been talking to himself since all of Venom’s conversation had been in his head. “Cap, uh, hey.”

“Everything okay?”

He figured that keeping as close to the truth as possible would be the best thing right now. “Not really. You might want to keep Delaware away from me today or I can’t be held accountable for my actions.”

Bobby frowned. “I just saw Hen giving him what looked to be a stern talking to. Do I need to be involved?”

“He was talking about what he was going to do to Buck on their date on Saturday night,” Eddie told him from between gritted teeth. 

“I see,” Bobby said. “I’ll have a chat to him about what is and what isn’t appropriate for the workplace and refresh him on sexual harassment policies. I’d appreciate it if you let me handle it from here, okay? I don’t want to have to write you up for decking the guy.”

Eddie pressed his lips together but managed a nod. 

“Excellent. Now, speaking of Buck, have you heard from him today? He hasn’t called in but he’s not here.”

“He cancelled his plans with me and Christopher last night, said he had a stomach bug. That’s the last I heard from him.”

Bobby nodded. “Okay. I’ll keep trying to call him and if I don’t hear anything soon, I’ll get someone to do a welfare check on him.”

 _Do it now, do it now,_ Eddie thought to himself but unfortunately his powers of silent persuasion were limited. 

“I’m going to go start on breakfast, see you upstairs shortly.” Bobby clapped him on the back and then left Eddie alone in the locker room. 

**We need to talk.**

Eddie sighed. _What now?_

**I am concerned.**

_So am I but as you keep saying, there’s nothing we can do until Delaware leads up to them._

**No, this is about your job.**

_What about it?_

There was a pause. Then, **Fire is very bad.**

_Yes it is._

**You don’t understand - while you and I are one, you will be protected from bullets and blades. I can heal broken bones and contusions. I can keep you safe from almost everything but...I have two weaknesses. One is sounds in the four to six thousand hertz range and the other is fire.**

_I see._

**During the rocket explosion I was badly hurt by fire. I almost did not survive.** He paused again and then said, quieter, **I am afraid of fire.**

He sounded very vulnerable and Eddie felt a strong urge to protect Venom wash over him. _Look, you don’t have anything to be worried about. 80% of our calls are for medical emergencies, so it’s unlikely that while you’re with me we’ll even be called to a fire. And if we are? I bet you didn’t have a) the protective clothing and equipment that I have and b) my training. You can keep me safe if Delaware has a gun and I’ll keep you safe from fire._

**You make a convincing argument.**

Eddie pulled out his phone and did a quick Google search. _And look - the sirens on the truck are well below four to six thousand hertz. Fire alarms go_ **_up to_ ** _four thousand hertz but most are lower, and our bell here at the station is only two thousand hertz so you should be okay there as well._

**I must admit, I wasn’t expecting you to be so...reassuring.**

Eddie smiled. _Yeah well, we both have people we love relying on us. We gotta work together._

**You are a good man, Edwin.**

_And why do I even bother?_

**Because you love Buck.**

He sighed. _Yeah, yeah I do._

oOoOo

Buck 

Buck woke with a start, his whole body tensed and aching as his brain caught up with where he was. He swore as he remembered everything that had happened and he automatically looked around for Brock. He was sitting against the opposite wall next to the door and was watching Buck with exhausted eyes. “Good morning,” he said, then added with a vague wave of his hand, “I think. I actually have no idea what time it is.”

Buck carefully stretched his legs out, trying to work out the muscle stiffness that still remained from the device that Delaware had used on them. “It’s definitely warmer,” he observed. “Did you get any sleep at all?”

Brock shrugged. “A little.”

Buck looked towards the door. “Has Delaware come by at all?”

“Nope, there’s not been a peep and that’s got me kinda concerned, to be honest.”

Buck tilted his head. “How do you mean?”

“Look, even though Delaware is escalating, he _always_ keeps his victims for a period of time before he kills them. They’ve all shown signs of dehydration, malnutrition, and extreme stress when they’ve been found.” He gestured at the small supply of water and tinned food. “He had this prepared, thinking that it would only be _you_ who he brought here. I think that supply is supposed to last you a good long while. The fact that we’re naked in a room that is uncomfortably cold at night, has no source of natural light - just a fluorescent tube, we have no way of telling how much time has passed, and we don’t know what he intends for us… well, all of that is some form of psychological torture. I think it’s part of what he gets off on.”

“I see.” Buck paused, wondering if he had the courage to ask the next question. He was terrified of the answer but decided that he’d prefer to know what was coming. “Um, have any of the victims, uh, been sexually assaulted?”

Brock’s eyes were sympathetic. “I know why you’d be worried about that, what with how he lured you on a date but no, none of the others showed any evidence of being raped or assaulted.”

Buck let out a breath that he didn’t even know he’d been holding. “Right, okay, that’s good. Well, you know what I mean - he still wants to kill us which is bad but with the whole ‘waking up with no clothes’ thing, and the flirting and well, yeah, I was a bit worried.”

“Totally understandable, man.”

“So, what do we do now?” Buck asked, eager to form some kind of plan. He was pleasantly surprised to find that he wasn't feeling at all awkward with Brock after they'd fallen asleep together, naked. It was almost like the circumstances they'd been thrust in together had forged an instant bond between them, a little like the bond Buck had with his chosen family at the 118.

Brock seemed on the same page as Buck. “I think we need to first of all, see if with the both of us we can get this door open. If that fails, then we need to work out how we’re going to ration this food. Then we need to get as much rest as we can. We know the night’s are the coldest so if we rest during the day, then we can try to keep warm in other ways when night falls.”

Buck nodded. “Yeah, light exercises and staying on our feet and off the floor will help a lot.”

“Exactly,” Brock agreed. “Look, I don't know how much luck we’re gonna have when he finally turns up since I can’t see him coming in here without using that crazy ass device of his, but I think doing what we can to prepare will keep us sane at least.”

“But you think the only way we’re getting out of here is by a rescue?”

Brock nodded. “Yeah, realistically I think that’s the only way. _But,_ if I know V, and I do, he’s gonna have found himself a host by now and he’s gonna be coming for us. And trust me - you do _not_ want to get on his bad side.”

Buck huffed out a small laugh. “I bet.” He wondered if Eddie knew he was missing yet, if he had any idea of what had happened. He couldn’t help but wish that Eddie would show up as part of the rescue attempt as well. 

Brock stood up and held a hand out to Buck to help him up. “Alright, how ‘bout we get started?”

Buck took a deep breath and smiled. “Yep, let’s do this.”


	8. Chapter 8

Eddie Diaz and Venom 

The calls didn't stop and Eddie spent the first eight hours of his shift trying to do his job whilst suppressing the urge to grab Delaware by his shirt and demand that he tell him when he was keeping Buck. When it got too bad, Venom would step in and forcibly take over, which was probably for the best despite being the most disconcerting feeling ever. Eddie had a temper, he knew this, and when he got angry, he tended to lash out first and think later. Having someone to reign him in was fortuitous. 

After four calls in a row with no break in between (luckily no fires, they’d all been medical calls), they were finally making their way back to the Station. When Bobby’s phone rang, they all groaned, worried that it would be another call. 

Bobby’s concerned expression had them all on edge as he listened to whoever was on the other end of the line. “Alright, we’ll meet you there - we’re five out,” he said before hanging up. “Okay, team, change of plans,” he said over the headset.

Chim groaned. “Cap, come on, we’re beat. Can’t we just have a fifteen minute break?”

Bobby turned in the Captain’s seat to face them. “This is about Buck,” he announced.

“Is he okay?” Eddie asked, trying to make it sound natural and not like he wanted to scream at them that Buck was missing and _why was anyone not more worried?_

“I asked Maddie to try and get hold of him but she’s been unable to. She’s asked us to meet her and Athena at Buck’s place to do a welfare check.”

“You don’t think anything’s really wrong, do you?” Hen asked. “Surely he’s just sleeping.”

“We don't know,” Bobby told her, his expressive eyes showing just how worried he was. “I’d rather we wake him up than find him later, collapsed on the ground. With Buck’s medical history...let’s just say, I’d rather be safe than sorry.”

 **What is it?** Venom asked in his mind. **Why do they all have that look on their faces?**

 _They’ll all be picturing the worst case scenarios,_ Eddie explained. _Buck has had a lot of issues with his health after he was pinned by a ladder truck. He had some clots and although the doc has said they’re all gone, well, it’s hard not to worry about him._

An image of Buck choking on his own blood in Athena and Bobby’s backyard came to mind so strongly and suddenly that Eddie _knew_ that it was Venom rifling through his memories to discover what he’d meant. 

**Do not worry, Eddison, we know he is not in any grave danger while Delaware is with us. We will get to him before anything can happen to him.**

Eddie needed the comfort so badly that he didn't even bother to argue with Venom over his name, he just nodded to himself. _I hope so._

They reached Buck’s apartment complex and found Maddie and Athena waiting for them in the parking lot. Athena nodded at them all. “Thanks for coming. Has anyone heard from Buck today?”

They all shook their heads.

“Eddie, Bobby told me that he texted you yesterday?”

Eddie nodded and fished out his phone, handing it over. “Yeah, he said he had a stomach bug.”

Athena scanned the messages. “And this phone call?” she asked, looking through the log.

“I called him last night to see if he needed anything. It went through to voicemail, he didn’t answer.”

“I see.” She pulled out her own phone. “I’ll try him one more time and then we’ll go in.” 

Eddie kept a surreptitious eye on Delaware as Athena tried to contact Buck. For all intents and purposes, he looked slightly concerned but totally at ease with the situation. As much as he didn't like the guy, maybe they had it all wrong? Maybe he wasn’t the one who took them?

 **I saw him,** Venom told him. **It is definitely him.**

Athena listened as Buck’s phone yet again went through to voicemail and then she looked to Eddie. “Do you have your key?” she asked.

Eddie shook his head. “It’s in my locker at work on my keychain. Doesn't Maddie have a key?”

Maddie shook her head. “No, Buck’s never given me one. You’re the only one with a key.”

Huh. Eddie hadn't been aware of that and the knowledge sat warm and heavy in his chest. He was both heartened that Buck trusted him so much but also a little confused. Why would Buck have given him a key but not his _sister?_

**Perhaps it is because he is in love with you also.**

_Um, no, I don’t think so, as much as I wish it were the case. I know he's attracted to me and wouldn't mind daing me, but he isn't in love with me. I wish he was but he's not._ Eddie had never admitted that out loud before.

**I beg to differ.**

_You don’t even_ **_know_ ** _Buck._

**But I have eyes, Edric. I have seen the way he looks at you.**

Eddie sighed. _How many variations of my name are you going to go through until you call me Eddie?_

 **Considering I will never call you that since there is only** **_one_ ** **Eddie and you are not him, all of them.**

_Look, I get it that you miss him, but come on, dude, you can’t hold it against me that I have the same name as him._

**I can and I will.**

_That’s really childish._

**I have never pretended to be otherwise.**

“Okay, I guess we’re doing this the hard way then,” Athena told them and Bobby nodded, instructing Eddie to get the battering ram. He quickly grabbed it from the truck and then they were hurrying into the complex, heading for Buck’s apartment. Eddie waited to one side as Athena pounded on the door, calling for Buck to open up. After a minute or so of no answer, she pulled her gun and then gestured for Eddie to move in. 

“Is that really necessary?” Bobby murmured, looking at the weapon.

“Given that this behaviour is out of character for Buck, I’m not taking any chances,” Athena said.

The gravity of that statement had them all on alert.

 **Remember, you won’t need as much force as usual,** Venom warned Eddie. **Being bonded with me makes you much stronger than usual.**

It was true - Eddie felt like he’d hardly tapped the ram to the door and it was splintering open, allowing Athena to enter the apartment, gun held steady as she scanned the area. They waited in the hallway as she checked out the apartment, everyone on edge, including Eddie who knew that she would find nothing. Finally, Athena called, “Clear,” and they all filed in. “He’s not here,” she told them, “but someone has been.”

They took in the signs of a struggle and the disturbed furniture. “He’s been taken by someone?” Maddie gasped, her eyes wide.

“Looks that way,” Athena said, crouching down to examine the upturned potted plant. “I can’t see any blood but we’d have to get forensics down here to see if the area has been cleaned.”

Maddie let out a sob at that and Chim immediately pulled her into his arms. 

“Who would have done this?” Delaware asked, his tone completely innocent.

“Have you had any calls go wrong lately?” Athena asked Bobby. “Anyone who might have blamed Buck for the loss of a loved one?”

Bobby shook his head. “No, all of the casualties we’ve had recently have been DOA. There was nothing we could do when we got there.”

“Who would want to hurt Buck?” Hen asked. “He’s so sweet.”

“Maybe that’s the point,” Delaware said, and he gave Eddie a suspicious look. “Maybe someone took him because he showed interest in someone else and didn’t return their feelings?”

“What the hell are you implying?” Eddie growled, stepping into Delaware’s space.

“Just that I’ve seen how you look at him, Diaz, it’s clear you want him but he doesn't want you, since he’s dating _me._ Maybe you didn't like that, maybe you decided to do something about it.” He sneered in Eddie’s face. “After all, it was _you_ he was supposed to see just before he disappeared.”

“You son of a -”

“Eddie wouldn’t have done this,” Athena said sternly. “Besides, we have the texts that Buck sent, cancelling his plans with Eddie and his son.” Her gaze lingered on Delaware, her expression hard. “I’ll call in an official missing person report and will get forensics down here. I’ll need to get statements from all of you since you’re the ones closest to him, but for now there’s not much else we can do.”

“Chim, take Maddie home, stay with her,” Bobby instructed. His hand landed gently on Eddie’s shoulder. “This must be hard for you, too. Do you need to go?”

Eddie glanced quickly at Delaware and then shook his head. “No, I’m good, Cap.”

“Okay, you can stay on shift for now but if I think that your concentration is lacking, I _will_ send you home.”

“I’m good.” He wasn’t going to take his eyes off Delaware until he had no choice.

“Alright, let’s head back to the station, leave Athena to do her job.” He turned to look at his wife. “We’ll be available when you need us for statements.” He patted her shoulder, the only sign of affection they seemed to allow themselves when on the job and then he turned and led the team out.

Eddie was last out but stopped as Athena grabbed his arm. Her eyes lingered on Delaware as he headed down the hallway and then into the stairwell. “Eddie, keep an eye on that one,” she warned. “There’s something about him...I don’t trust him.”

Eddie nodded. “Already right there with you, Athena.”

“I thought so,” she said. She gave him a small, sad smile. “We’ll get him back for you, Eddie.”

He wondered if everyone had figured out how much Buck meant to him by now.

**Yes.**

_Shut up._

“Thanks. See you soon, no doubt.”

Athena nodded and then Eddie turned and left her to her work. 

oOoOo

Eddie Diaz and Venom continued 

Eddie had made some phone calls and between his abuela, his tia, and Carla, Christopher was going to be looked after for the next several days. He’d explained that Buck was missing and that was all he had to say for the three women to readily agree to watch his son. He’d dropped by the house quickly after work in time to give Christopher a kiss and a hug and then he was off, out the door.

He was now parked across the road from Delaware’s house and after a sneaky walk by the living room window to ensure the man was home, there had been no movement from inside the house 

“Surely he has to head out to them tonight,” Eddie mused as the clock ticked past midnight. 

**“Not necessarily,”** Venom disagreed. He’d manifested a small head and it rested on Eddie’s shoulder, making him feel less alone. 

“But he’ll have to check on them, give them food and water?”

**“I do not think he will risk going to them so soon given the police investigation into Buck’s disappearance. The lady policeman is already suspicious of him and it’s obvious.”**

Eddie couldn't dispute that Athena had not made much of an effort into hiding her dislike of Delaware. “So what? He’ll just let them starve?”

**“The human body can go a long time without food. Given the signs of malnutrition found in the other victims, he limits their food intake to keep them weak.”**

Eddie shivered, and not just because the temperature had plummeted once the sun had set. He didn't like the idea of Buck going hungry at all. 

**“It is also possible that he has an accomplice,”** Venom offered. **“Someone who is watching over them while Delaware is covering his tracks.”**

It was a nice sentiment but Eddie knew that Venom had only offered it to reassure him and not because he believed it to be true. “At least they have each other,” he whispered, glad that Buck wasn't alone.

**_“If_ he’s keeping them together. Delaware may have separated them.”**

Eddie sighed and rubbed his arms to try and keep warm. "I hadn’t thought of that.”

There was movement in the house and the front door opened. Eddie sank down in his seat so he wouldn't be seen as they watched Delaware come down the front steps. Eddie’s heart sank as he simply went to the bin and wheeled it down the drive to the kerb for pick up the next day before going back inside. They’d already had a quick peep inside the bin earlier and had found nothing of any use. 

“Dammit,” Eddie whispered. He let his head roll back in the seat and tried to stop his teeth from chattering. He should have worn something warmer than his hoodie.

 **“You are cold,”** Venom observed.

“No shit, Sherlock,” Eddie muttered.

**“You are also very grumpy tonight.”**

“Can you blame me?”

**“No, but it does not make for a pleasant evening.”**

“Well I’m _so_ sorry I’m not great company right now,” Eddie snarked.

**“I should let you suffer but that will only make you more annoying.”**

Before Eddie could ask what Venom meant by that, tendrils of inky blackness were seeping out of his skin, spreading over his body and forming a solid barrier. A moment later, Eddie was encased from the chest down in the substance and he immediately stopped shivering. “Oh,” he said dumbly.

 **“You’re welcome, Eduardo,”** Venom said dryly

Eddie sighed. “You’ve used that one before,” he noted, and then laughed when Venom huffed in annoyance before turning back to the house to continue keeping watch.

oOoOo

Buck 

Buck’s arms ached as he counted out his two hundredth pushup and he climbed to his feet, breathing heavily. Brock handed him a bottle of water and he took it, allowing himself only a small sip. They had rationed themselves to a bottle of water per day, which would last them close to a week. Brock was certain that Delaware wouldn’t stay away for too long, as he’d want to check in on his prize, and gloat over their capture. It didn't make Buck feel any better about the situation but there wasn’t much he could do about it.

They had rested as much as possible during the warmer hours and as the temperature dropped, they had begun taking turns at doing exercises to keep themselves warm. After they’d finished either pushups, situps, or jogging on the spot, they would sit down next to the other and they would share body warmth, while talking quietly. Buck slumped down next to Brock now but he didn't feel like talking, and his eyes fell closed against Brock’s shoulder.

Eddie’s face swam into view behind his eyelids and he just let himself have a moment to think only of his best friend and how much he meant to him. This was another stark reminder that life was short and Buck vowed that once he got out of this, he was going to convince Eddie to give him another chance. Life was scary enough, why should they let Eddie’s fears keep them apart, especially since Buck knew that he wasn’t going anywhere by choice. He couldn’t promise that he’d never leave, since their jobs were dangerous and accidents happened every day to people everywhere, but he’d never _choose_ to walk out of Eddie and Christopher’s lives. He had the feeling that Eddie was probably feeling rather panicked about Buck’s disappearance by now and that might give him the edge to convince him when they were finally reunited. 

He could only hope, anyway. 

"So, what's the craziest rescue you've ever had to do?" Brock asked.

Buck chewed on his lip as he thought, gently tucking his memories of Eddie away into his heart. "So there was this bus..."


	9. Chapter 9

Buck 

The temperature had risen again and Buck assumed that it was daytime once more. He was sore and exhausted and his stomach was growling. They’d been very careful with their food rations, and were only eating the bare minimum to keep themselves alive, which was much, much less than Buck was used to consuming. They were curled up together on their makeshift bed, but despite being so tired that his eyes hurt, Buck couldn’t sleep.

It appeared that Brock couldn't either. 

“Can I ask you something personal?” Brock asked.

Buck couldn’t help but laugh. “Dude, we’ve spent the last two days together, naked. I’m spooning your ass right now. Two hours ago, I took a shit in a bucket while you were less than three feet from me. I really think that we’re beyond the point of anything being considered too personal between us.”

Brock chuckled. “Yeah, point taken.”

“What did you want to ask?”

Brock shifted around until he was on his back, so Buck wouldn’t be talking to the back of his head. “What’s the story with you and Diaz?”

“What makes you think there’s a story?”

Brock just gave him a ‘look’. 

“Okay, yeah, that was stupid. I forgot for a second who I was talking to.” 

Brock shrugged. “I know you’re best friends but it seems like he means more to you than just a friend. You spend almost every waking moment together, you clearly adore his kid, and you obviously find him attractive.”

Buck snorted. “Have you _seen_ him? How can anyone _not_ find him attractive?”

Brock shrugged again. “Eh, he’s not really my type.”

“Well yeah, because he’s an _Earthling.”_

A laugh burst from Brock’s lips and he rolled over, butting his head against Buck’s shoulder. “Oh man, touché, that was gold!”

Buck smirked. “I have my moments.”

“Okay, okay,” Brock said, catching his breath, “but seriously, I really didn't expect you to be dating Delaware. I thought you’d be seeing Diaz if anyone.”

Buck sighed. “Look, I kissed him months ago, and he rejected me, gave me some bullshit excuses that all pretty much boiled down to him being scared. Nothing’s happened since.”

“Oh man, that’s rough.”

“Tell me about it.” He swallowed thickly. “It’s just hard, ya know? Because there’s so much _tension_ between us. We flirt _all_ the time, and I know we’d be good together. He knows I love him but I think he’s started twisting it in his mind, has started telling himself that it’s not in any romantic capacity.”

Brock frowned. “Why the hell would he do that?”

“To protect himself, I guess. Look, I agreed to a date with Carl because I’d figured that I couldn’t wait forever for Eddie to come to his senses. And he was _so_ jealous, it was insane. Yet, he didn’t do anything about it. If he’d said to me, ‘Buck, I’ve made a mistake, I want to try with you’ then I would have dropped everything else like a stone, but he didn’t. He just huffed and hawed and stalked around like a bear with a prickle in his foot.” He closed his eyes, trying to ignore the ache in his chest. “The worst part is that I’d already decided that I wouldn’t go on more than one date with Carl, that I wasn’t really that into him. It’s really fucked up, the whole thing.”

Brock reached up and gave Buck’s bicep a squeeze. “Hey, maybe getting kidnapped and held by a serial killer is the push he needs to realise that you guys belong together?”

Buck gave a weak chuckle. “Yeah, maybe.” 

“You love him, yeah?”

“Yeah, I do. I rally, really do.”

“Speaking from personal experience, finding that perfect someone isn’t always easy. Sometimes you have someone in your life - or an alien symbiote up your ass - but you don’t realise how much they mean to you until they’re gone. And sometimes you get a second chance to tell them that you’ve worked out how you feel. You just hope like hell that they’re willing to give _you_ a second chance.”

“Honestly? I would give Eddie all the chances in the world if it meant that he would be with me.”

“Well, I’ll keep my fingers crossed that he pulls his head out of his ass. Now, turn around.”

“Huh? Why?”

Brock gave him a stern look. “Because it looks like you could use a hug and it’ll be much less awkward without our dicks touching. Now move, let me hold you.”

Buck huffed out another laugh and turned over, pushing backwards until his back was flush against Brock’s chest. Brock wrapped his muscular arms around him and for a brief moment, Buck let himself pretend that it was _his_ Eddie who was holding him. That was all it took for him to fall asleep.

oOoOo

Eddie Diaz and Venom 

_You reckon he’ll go to where he’s keeping them soon?_ Eddie asked silently as he watched Delaware in the locker room from around the corner.

 **I am sure,** Venom replied. **He will be feeling the compulsion to check on his prey.**

_God, please don’t talk about the men we love as prey._

**What else should I call them, Edlebert? That is how he sees them.**

_Edlebert, seriously? You’re a real dick, you know that, right?_

**Only for Eddie.**

_Oh, man, really? You really went there?_

**I am in your head - don’t lie and say that you haven’t been curious about the relationship I have with Eddie.**

_Dude, I had to live through a_ **_sex dream_ ** _of yours, I’m pretty sure any curiosity I had has been sated._

**You are just jealous.**

_Yeah, I don’t think so._

**Yes, you are. Because Eddie and I are one, we share everything, and we love each other very deeply. You on the other hand are too much of a coward to be with the man that you love. The man who loves you back.**

_Maybe once he did, but I don’t think Buck feels the same anymore._

**You are as idiotic as you are pathetic.**

_Gee, thanks. I’m coming to the end of a 24 hour shift, I’m exhausted, I’m worried sick about Buck, I’m angry as all hell at that asshole over there, and I am still coming to terms with the fact that aliens are not only real but I have one living inside my head. Those insults you’re throwing at me are just the thing I need to make me feel better._

**Maybe tough love is what you need? Maybe it will make you pull your head out of your ass.**

_I’ll need you gone from it first._

**I have not been anywhere** **_near_ ** **your ass, Edberto. You would know it!**

 _Oh, shut up._ He grit his teeth as he watched Delaware, who was checking his phone and not doing anything particularly exciting. The only good thing was that he looked as exhausted as Eddie felt. As soon as their shift ended, they had four days off but Delaware would surely have to sleep before he did anything? Wouldn't he? 

**We will need less sleep than he will and so we will be waiting for him when he makes his move.**

That was reassuring at least. Behind him, the locker room door opened and Eddie walked around the corner, trying to act natural. If that meant he was scowling at Delaware, well, so be it.

oOoOo

Eddie Diaz and Venom continued 

Night had fallen and Eddie and Venom were parked just down the road from Delaware’s house. They’d done a quick reconnoiter earlier and had determined that he was still at home and hadn’t left as yet. Eddie was prepared to follow the man for the rest of their four days off if he had to, absolutely determined to bring Buck home.

**And Eddie. Don’t forget Eddie.**

“How could I? He’s all you talk about.”

A small head manifested from his shoulder and glared at him. **“Because I love him. Just because you are too emotionally constipated to have a meaningful relationship with Buck, it doesn't mean that you get to make fun of my relationship with Eddie.”**

“I wasn’t making fun, I was making an observation.”

Venom’s eyes narrowed and he leaned forward, showing off his wide mouth full of sharp, pointy teeth. **“It didn’t sound like one.”**

Eddie covered Venom’s snout with with his hand and pushed him away. “Well it was. Can you keep your maw out of my face, man - your breath stinks.”

**“Rude!”**

“Honest.”

 **“Your toothbrush is terrible. I’m** **_sorry_ ** **that I’m not as minty fresh as usual.”** Venom’s level of snark was impressive.

“You’ve been using my toothbrush?” Eddie exclaimed. “Not cool, dude. Now I’ll have to buy a new one.”

**“When you do, you should do yourself a favour and invest in a better one than one that costs 99 cents from Walmart.”**

Before Eddie could fire a retort back, they were both startled by a tap on the window. Something inside the car exploded and Eddie suddely found himself...cocooned. There was no other word for it. He could still see, but his vision was weird, like he could see different colours and maybe even _frequencies?_ What the fuck? Then he looked down and noticed that his body was a shimmering, undulating black substance and he had doubled in mass. From the way that his head was crammed in the car, bent at a weird angle, he figured that he must be about nine foot tall now.

Athena was standing outside the car and at the sight before her, she pulled her gun and levelled it at them. “I’m going to have to ask you to step out of the car...sir?” She faltered a little at the end, having no idea how to address Venom.

Venom growled.

 _Hey!_ Eddie shouted at him from inside the cocoon. _Do_ **_not_** _h_ _urt her!_

“Get out of the car, _now!”_ Athena ordered, her finger on the trigger.

_Do as she says._

**I cannot.**

_Why the hell not?_ Eddie demanded. 

Venom sounded sheepish as he said, **I am stuck.**

_Oh my God, I cannot believe this!_

**She startled me! I had to protect you!**

Eddie was about to snap back but stopped as the meaning behind Venom’s words sank in. _Aww, you like me!_

**No I do not!**

_Yes you do! You wanted to protect me!_

**That may be so, but I do not like you!**

_Yes you do!_

**Shut up, Edwina!**

_Calling me a girl? That’s not exactly an insult._

“For the last time, _get out of the car!”_

_Okay, that’s her ‘I’m not messing around voice, do as she says, Venom!_

**Fine, but when she shoots you, don’t tell me I didn’t warn you.**

The cocoon immediately melted away from Eddie, leaving him as he normally was. He saw Athena’s eyes widen and although she recognised him, the grip on her gun tightened. “Eddie?” she called through the glass.

He was impressed at how steady her voice was. “Yeah, Athena, it’s me.”

“I’m still going to need you to step out of the car. Keep your hands where I can see them.”

Eddie nodded and very carefully he reached over and opened the door, then slowly got out of the car, keeping his hands raised. “Hey, Athena, fancy meeting you here.”

“You got some explaining to do, Eddie,” she told him. “What the hell was that thing?”

“Um, this is probably going to sound crazy,” he started.

“Any more crazy that what I just saw?” she asked.

He grimaced and then shook his head. “Yeah, you’re probably going to actually have an easier time believing it than me, what with the show and tell. I just had a voice in my head.”

She finally lowered the gun but didn’t step any closer. “Eddie, I swear to God, if you don’t start explaining, I’m going to take you over my knee and spank you.”

**Kinky. I like her.**

“Shut up,” Eddie whispered, then stared in horrow as Athena’s eyes narrowed. “No, sorry, that wasn’t directed at you, I swear!”

She made a show of looking around. “Unless I’m blind, there doesn’t seem to be anyone else here that you could have been talking to.”

He sighed. “Venom? Do you mind coming out?” he asked, already regretting it. “But, just you know, the small you. Not the big you again,” he added hurredily. 

Before Athena could yet again ask him what the hell was going on, Venom began to manifest his small head and neck from Eddie’s shoulder. He blinked slowly at her and then gave her what Eddie knew was supposed to be a friendly smile but was instead something like from a horror movie. **“Hello,”** he said. **“I am Venom.”**

One of Athena’s eyebrows lifted almost comically. “Huh,” she said. “That’s really not something you see everyday.”

“You’re telling me,” Eddie muttered.


	10. Chapter 10

Eddie D and Venom 

“Athena, please, you gotta believe me - Venom isn’t the enemy here. He’s a good guy!”

He could tell that Athena didn’t believe him, not by the suspicious expression on her face anyway. “Guy?” She said finally. “I hate to tell you, Eddie, but that’s no ‘guy’. That’s...something else entirely.”

 **“I am a Klyntar,”** Venom told her, **“but my pronouns are he and him and so technically I** **_am_ ** **a guy.”**

If she was shocked by being schooled about pronouns by an alien, she hid it well. “And what exactly is a Klyntar? Is that some kind of alien race?”

“Yes!” Eddie cried, then immediately looked around. So far they had been lucky enough that their ruckus hadn’t drawn the attention of any of the neighbours, or worse still, Delaware, but that could change at any moment. “Look, Athena, can we please have this conversation another time? We really don’t have time for this.”

She shot him a look. “Eddie Diaz, you have just introduced me to an alien from outta space and you’re tellin’ me that we don’t have _time_ for this?”

He glanced again at Delaware's house. “Please, look, we’ll tell you everything but can we get off the street before we’re noticed?”

Her gaze lingered on the house as well. “I’m actually here on official police business, Eddie.”

“What? Did you find something? Do you know where Buck is?” he asked quickly.

“No, nothing like that, but I do have a few questions for your friend, Mr Delaware.”

“He’s no friend of mine,” Eddie snarled. 

She raised her brow again. Eddie wasn’t sure if it had spent much time in its normal position since the conversation had begun. “I’m guessing that you have some information that you want to share with the class?”

“Athena, I promise, I’ll tell you everything, but please just get in the car. We can’t let him see us or he’ll know that we’re onto him!”

She looked like she wanted to argue but instead she simply opened the rear door of his truck and gestured towards it. “After you.” He’d never been more grateful for the trust she had in him than then.

“Thank you, I promise, you won’t regret it.”

She climbed in after them and gave Venom - whose small head was bobbing between them - a long look. “I sure hope not.”

 **“We have the same goal,”** Venom told her. **“To get back Eddie and Buck.”**

She looked at Eddie. “Uh, Eddie’s right here.”

 **“Not** **_him,”_ ** Venom cried. **_“My_ ** **Eddie!”**

“There’s two Eddies?”

Eddie sighed. “I know, it’s a little confusing. He’s talking about Eddie Brock - you know, the Investigative Reporter?”

She hummed. “I’ve heard of him.”

“Venom is normally bonded to Brock, and they came here to investigate Delaware. The cops in San Francisco weren’t interested in the evidence they’d gathered against him so they decided to do their own investigation.”

“So you know about the deaths in San Francisco?”

 **“And the ones in Seattle,”** Venom explained.

“So they _are_ related. I _knew_ it!” she cried. “I overheard some colleagues in the Cold Case Division talking about the deaths and something was nagging at me. I remembered that Delaware had said that he’d lived in both of the areas and something about that man just felt _off_ to me.”

**“He is a serial killer. He chooses victims who are all firefighters, always tall and blonde, and they always have a distinguishing feature.”**

“Buck’s birthmark,” she stated.

**“Yes. We went to warn Buck but Delaware came and used a device that was very painful and caused Eddie and I to be separated. He then took both of them with him. I needed a host and when Edgar here arrived at Buck’s apartment, I bonded with him and we have been trailing him ever since.”**

Athena looked at Eddie. “Edgar?”

He sighed. “Nevermind, it’s a long story. The point is, we’ve been watching Delaware since Buck disappeared. We know that he’s not keeping them here and we think he’s going to go to them soon, which is why we’re here.”

“You know they’re not there? Pray tell, Eddie, how exactly do you know that?”

He flushed but before he could come up with a lie, Venom said, **“Because we searched his house.”**

“Oh, you did, did you?” she asked. “Did you have a warrant?”

 **“We did not need one,”** Venom told her in all seriousness. **“I can open any door.”**

She didn’t look impressed. “That’s not exactly following procedure.”

**“Eddie was concerned about following procedure as well so the police could arrest Delaware, and then he got taken and needs to be rescued. Edmundo knows that he is a bad man and has told me that I can eat his head.”**

“Excuse me?” Athena was glaring at them both now.

“What?” Eddie grumbled. “He deserves it.”

“Once we get your boy back safe and sound, you and I are going to have words, Eddie Diaz about what is and isn’t appropriate to give an alien entity permission to do.”

“Yes, maam,” he agreed contritely.

Before the conversation could devolve any further, they caught movement from Delaware’s house. The man in question was locking up his front door, a large duffle slung over his shoulder, and he peered up and down the street before he climbed into his truck.

“Well, this looks promising,” Eddie said and he went to open the door.

Athena grabbed hold of his wrist to stop him. “Just what the hell do you think you’re doing?”

“Following him, what do you think?”

“Don’t you get snippy with me, young man. Don’t you think you ought to leave this to the police?”

 **“You will not stop us!”** Venom told her.

“You don’t think I can?” she challenged.

Although Venom’s mass didn't change (he seemed to have learned his lesson that there was limited space in the cabin), his mouth seemed to double in size and many, many more rows of very sharp, pointy teeth were suddenly only inches from Athena’s face. **“Try me,”** he snarled, saliva dripping from the points.

Athena regarded him for a long moment and then said, “I’m coming with you.”

“I don’t care if the Queen of England wants to come,” Eddie said, “but we’re leaving _now.”_ Delaware was already pulling out of the driveway.

Athena reached up and flicked the setting on the interior light so it wouldn’t come on when the door was opened. “Well, then, we’d best be going.”

They hurried out of the rear seats and into the front ones, and Eddie quickly started the car. Delaware had a good enough lead that he felt confident to drive with the lights on and they began to follow him. Athena gave him tips as they went, advising what to do and what not do when tailing someone and soon they were reaching the city limits and heading north.

“So, Venom,” Athena said, breaking the tense silence in the car, “what brought you to Earth?”

**“A man by the name of Carlton Drake brought us here in order to study us, to try and find a way to allow humans to survive in space.”**

“You’re kidding?” She shook her head. “I honestly thought the answer was going to be world domination.”

 **“Oh, no, that was** **_our_ ** **plan, but you didn’t ask what we intended, just how we came to be here.”**

‘I see…” she said slowly. “So, uh, how many of our world leaders have one of you inside of them?”

**“None. Eddie and I joined together to defeat my leader Riot and his host, Drake.”**

“You turned on your own kind?”

**“I kind of like it here.”**

“And he’s in lurve,” Eddie sing-songed.

“You’re in love?”

**“Were you not listening when we spoke of Eddie earlier?”**

“Oh, I was - I just didn't realise how...intimate your relationship was,” Athena admitted.

Venom sighed. **“Eddie is the best. I miss him so much. I feel very lonely without him.”**

Eddie was struck once again by Venom’s intense feelings of loss and he reached up and rubbed his head. “It’s okay, buddy, we’ll get you back to him. In the meantime, you have me. I’m not going anywhere until we get you two reunited.”

**“That is very kind of you, Ed -”**

“Uh!” Eddie cut him off. “We’re having a nice moment, don’t go and ruin it by calling me Edberta or something.”

A long, wet tongue darted out and licked him from chin to temple. **“You are pretty okay for a human.”**

Eddie grimaced and wiped at his face. “Ew, gross.”

 **“You’re gross,”** Venom retorted.

“Not as gross as you.”

**“I beg to differ.”**

“Yeah, well I don’t.”

“What were the chances,” Athena asked, “that you’d be taken over by an alien entity with the same emotional maturity as you? Which is to say - none!”

**“I was just lucky I guess.”**

“This is gonna be a _long_ drive,” Athena muttered.

They wound their way around the outskirts of suburbia for another hour and then they were hitting more open country. “Crap, do you think he’s gonna notice our headlights?” Eddie said, chewing on his bottom lip.

“We’re far enough back that I don’t think it’ll be a problem,” Athena assured him. “We might have left LA but it’s not exactly the middle of nowhere here. There’s still traffic.”

That was true, although the traffic they passed wasn’t exactly heavy.

 **“I have excellent night vision,”** Venom told him. **“If you need, turn off the lights. I will make sure you can see.”**

Eddie thought about this for a moment and then decided to switch them off. Instantly he noticed a change to his eyesight, not dissimilar to the infrared night vision goggles that he’d used during his army days. “Cool.”

Delaware soon began taking turns off the main roads and they continued to follow at a distance. Eventually he slowed and pulled into a driveway, closed off with a farm gate. Eddie pulled over and watched as Delaware got out to open the gate. 

“You can see him?” Athena asked.

“Yeah, can’t you?”

“Eddie, he’s gotta be more than a quarter mile away and it’s pitch black. I can't see a goddamn thing.”

“Huh.”

**“Told you.”**

“Well, he’s just driven through the gate and is now closing it. I think it’s safe to assume that this is the place.”

“We should go on foot from here,” Athena said.

“Agreed.” Eddie’s stomach was churning with nerves and he felt almost like he used to feel when he went on missions in Afghanistan. He was keyed up with adrenaline but there was also a little tendril of fear and worry for the things that he might be called upon to do, for the things he might find. An image of Buck’s lifeless body flashed through his mind and he thought for an instant that he might be sick.

 **We will find them, we will get them back,** Venom told him silently.

_How can you be so sure?_

**Because I know that my time with Eddie is not yet at an end and your time with Buck has yet to even start.**

_That’s very poetic but not exactly realistic._

**Or maybe you could simply take it for the comfort that it’s meant to be and stop being a whiny little bitch.**

_Now who’s being rude?_

Venom didn't bother to reply but he turned to Athena and said, **“I am going to assume my full form as it will make it easier for me to move undetected through the woods. It will also allow me to be able to help you if needed. Please do not be alarmed.”**

She nodded. “I think I’m prepared for it this time,”

Venom nodded and instantly, Eddie felt himself being drawn back into the same cocoon as before. A moment later he seemed to be towering over Athena, even though he knew that he wasn’t looking through his own eyes. 

“Or maybe not,” Athena said, a little weakly. “Maybe this is just something that you can’t prepare for?”

**“I promise you, I will not harm you.”**

“I know.”

**“I cannot say the same about Delaware. He is unlikely to get out of this unharmed.”**

She sighed. “I know.” She gestured in the direction of the property. “Shall we make a move?”

Venom grinned. **“Showtime.”**

Athena nodded. “Let’s go get your boys.”

oOoOo

Buck 

Buck sat watching as Brock completed another set of sit ups when he suddenly froze. “Did you hear that?” he whispered.

Brock paused and cocked his head to one side. “No, what was it?”

“I think,” Buck said slowly, “that it was a door opening.”

Brock was on his feet in an instant, and he reached down and offered Buck a hand, pulling him to his feet. “You ready?”

Buck nodded. “As I’ll ever be.”

Brock gave a determined nod and turned to face the door. “It’s showtime.”


	11. Chapter 11

Eddie Diaz and Venom 

They didn’t quite bound through the woods but they moved at a fast clip, Athena keeping up effortlessly. She may be small, but she was also fast. Venom used his excellent night vision to guide them and Eddie felt a swell of pride for Athena, for putting her trust in Venom completely. He guided her over fences, and around rough terrain, and soon they were approaching a quaint old farmhouse, set in a small clearing. Delaware’s car was parked at the front, and the porch light was on.

At any other time, it would look cosy.

 **“He’s definitely in there,”** Venom said in a low rumble.

“Yeah, but who else is in there with him?” Athena asked. “Is it just Buck and your Eddie? Or does he have help?”

**“I am more than a match for even ten men.”**

“Unless he uses that device again,” she pointed out. “From what you said, that incapacitated you.”

**“Edric and I thought of that. We have noise cancelling earbuds to use.”**

She looked impressed. “Nice. We need to get a closer look and see if we can see what’s going on in there. You may be able to take on ten men but I’m worried about what Delaware would do while you’re distracted with any other potential hostiles.”

**“You think he may kill them?”**

“It’s a possibility,” she said, her voice calm but Eddie knew her well enough to recognise the anger simmering under the surface.

 **“Stay behind me,”** Venom instructed. **“I will blend in with the night and will provide cover for you.”**

She nodded and they set off on silent feet towards the house. It was a moonless night so they felt confident enough crossing the small clearing but Venom was careful to keep his body between Athena and the house at all times. They reached the edge of the porch and headed down along the side of the house, moving towards the rear. They paused at a window and peered inside.

“I don’t see anything,” Athena whispered as they took in an empty living room. There were scattered pieces of furniture, all covered in dust sheets, the whole room looking unused and discarded. 

_There’s a light on at the back of the house,_ Eddie said to Venom.

 **I see it,** he replied in their head, then aloud said, **“Let’s move to the rear of the building.”** He pitched his voice low so as not to be heard by anyone other than Eddie and Athena, the sound dispersing on the slight breeze as nothing more than a low vibration. 

They found themselves outside of the kitchen and they peered through the window. Faded formica benchtops sat empty, a small table with two rickety chairs was tucked into the corner, and an insulated shopping bag sat on the floor in front of the cupboards. There was no one in the kitchen but shadows danced in the hallway, telling them that someone was close by.

Venom pulled back from Eddie and the cool night air was shocking against his warm skin. **“We should get the earbuds ready now,”** Venom advised.

Eddie reached into his pocket and pulled out two pairs of buds and he was grateful that he’d thought to bring a spare pair just in case which meant Athena had some as well. “Are you sure that this’ll work if it’s only me wearing them, not you?” Eddie whispered.

 **“And which ear canal exactly should I stick them in?”** Venom asked. 

“Oh, right. To be fair, I haven’t actually seen your actual form very often, and when I have, I’ve not been examining every inch of you for ear holes.”

**“You see but you do not observe.”**

“Really? You’re quoting Sherlock at me, _now?”_

**“I like that show. Benedict Cumberbatch is very handsome. If for some reason I ever have to separate from Eddie, I would take him as my host.”**

“Well, looks like I’ll be in the clear then,” Eddie muttered.

“Would you two shush,” Athena hissed. “Someone’s coming.”

They fell silent as Delaware entered the kitchen and they watched as he crossed to the shopping bag and pulled out a bottle of beer. He twisted the top off and then leaned against the counter, fishing out his phone and scrolling through it. 

“What the hell is he doing?” Eddie whispered.

Athena turned and was about to shush him once more and Delaware stood up suddenly, his head cocked to one side, listening intently. As one, they all ducked down, pressing their backs to the wall of the house. Eddie felt a slithering sensation and he glanced up to see Venom extending upwards on a long, thin neck, almost like a periscope, to peer over the window sill.

 **It does not appear that it was us he heard,** Venom reported silently. **He is focusing on the refrigerator.**

Eddie frowned and turned to whisper in Athena’s ear, “Venom says he’s listening to the fridge?”

“Did you say the fridge?”

He nodded and shrugged.

**He is now moving the refrigerator.**

Eddie took a chance and peeked through the window and saw that Delaware was in fact shuffling the fridge out from its spot against the wall. He gestured for Athena to stand and she joined him. Soon it became apparent that there was a doorway hidden in the recess. 

“Well, well, well, would you look at that, “Athena murmured. “Wanna bet that that’s where’s he’s hiding your boys?”

They watched as Delaware went through the doorway, fishing a small device out of his pocket as he went, and then saw him descend what appeared to be stairs. **“That is the device that he used on us before,”** Venom confirmed. 

“Any idea of the range of it?” Eddie asked.

**“When he used it on Buck, we were unaffected. He was in the kitchen and we were in his living room. Delaware had to activate it again when he was close to us.”**

“Alright, I think to be safe, we should insert the ear buds before we enter the house,” Eddie told them. “It’ll make communication harder so we’ll need a plan of attack before we head inside.”

**“We should be as quiet as possible to keep the element of surprise.”**

“Agreed,” Eddie said. “On the off chance that the device isn't stopped by the ear buds, we want to try and get the jump on him before he has a chance to use it.” 

“Give me a second,” Athena said and then she melted into the night. She was gone less than a moment, her face grim. “The rear door is locked up tight. We could possibly break it down but it would be noisy. I think our best bet is to go through one of the windows.”

 **“The living room window was cracked slightly,”** Venom told them. **“I can get inside and unlatch it for us.”**

“You won’t fit through the window in your -” Athena waved at him -”you know, full form.”

**“I will stay hidden unless I am needed.”**

“Okay then, so we head inside, sneak down after him, and take him out,” Eddie suggested.

“We need to make sure we have eyes on Buck and Brock before we do, just in case,” Athena advised.

Eddie nodded. “Copy that.”

“Also, I know that you’ve given Venom permission to do...certain things, but can we _please_ try to simply arrest the man first?”

She looked mightily uncomfortable with the idea of anyone’s head being eaten and Eddie couldn’t really blame her, even if he _did_ think that Delaware deserved it. “What do you think, Venom?”

Venom’s small head turned to Athena with large, liquid eyes. **“You would take from me my one request?”**

“Venom, I’m a police officer - I can’t just let you go around eating people’s heads willy nilly.”

 **“You don’t have to watch,”** he said sulkily.

“Venom,” she said, a note of warning in her voice and Eddie was impressed at how she stared him down.

 **_“Fine,_ ** **but if you are unable to restrain him or he hurts my love, then I** **_will_ ** **eat him!”**

“That’s a fair deal,” she agreed. “Let’s go get ‘em.” They hurried back to the other window.

Venom slipped a small tendril through the crack in the window and easily unlatched it and Eddie lifted it open, going slowly so it wouldn’t squeak. He then cupped his hands and gave Athena a boost through the window. She landed gracefully and immediately turned to cover the room, her gun out, aim steady. Eddie hoisted himself inside, finding it much easier with Venom’s ‘assist’. It wouldn’t be long and Venom would have his own Eddie back and Eddie would once again be back to only his regular human strength, and would be alone with his thoughts.

For some odd reason, the latter was the more upsetting of the two.

 **I suppose that it** **_is_ ** **possible that I** **_might_ ** **miss you too, once I’m gone.**

 _Aww, you_ do _love me!_

**You are not too bad, for a human.**

_I’m gonna miss you too, Venom. But we should probably save the farewells for once we’ve got you back to where you’re meant to be._

**You’re the one who distracted us with your sappy ponderings.**

_Okay, so maybe I won’t miss you all that much after all…_

**You take that back!**

_No._

**Apologise!**

_Not gonna happen._

**You are the** **_worst_ ** **human!**

_Yep._

**I hate you.**

_No, you don’t. You love me._

**Do not.**

_Do too!_

“What the hell is wrong with you?” Athena hissed.

“Huh?” Eddie said, snapping back to the present.

“You’re just standing there with some weird grin on your face.” She peered closely at him. “Are you having a stroke?”

He rolled his eyes. “No, Athena, I am _not_ having a stroke. I was talking with Venom.”

She looked skeptical. “In your head?”

“How is that the weirdest thing about this entire situation?”

She sighed. “Let’s just get this over with. Quit your yapping and move.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

They moved as quietly as possible down the hall to the kitchen, being careful not to cause the old floorboards to creak and give them away. They reached the secret entrance and stood looking down the dim staircase. 

“I’ll go first,” Eddie whispered, “since Venom can help me see in the dark.”

“Is that a good idea?” Athena whispered back, her mouth so close to his ear to avoid being heard by Delaware that her breath sent shivers up Eddie’s spine. “I’m the one with the gun.”

Eddie shook his head. “It’ll be fine. Come on, let’s go.”

They moved very carefully and slowly and Eddie had to bite back his impatience and curb the urge to rush headlong down the stairs. In reality it didn't take them any longer than a minute to descend but it felt like an hour. 

Eddie found himself in the entrance to a spacious basement, empty except for a decrepit old washer. Across the room was another door, but this one had multiple locks on the outside of it, all undone with the door standing open. Delaware was standing in the doorway, the device in his hand and beyond he could see two figures lying prone on the ground. Before he could do anything, Delaware spun around and levelled a gun at Eddie. “I was wondering when you were going to show up, Diaz,” Delaware said, cocking the gun. “I’m so glad you didn't keep me waiting.”

oOoOo

Buck 

The wait was killing him. Twenty minutes must have passed since they had heard the door open and close from somewhere above them and both he and Brock were tensed to pounce as soon as the door opened. But it didn’t. They could hear the creak of floorboards above but as yet, Delaware hadn't come to find them.

“I wish we had some kind of weapon,” Brock muttered.

Buck could only agree. He felt more naked than he ever had and it had little to do with his lack of clothes and everything to do with the fact that he was unarmed and vulnerable, waiting for a man who wished to kill him. His eyes fell on the empty cans from their meagre meals. “Do you think we could break them open?” he said, tilting his head towards them. “Use the sharp edge to try and cut him?”

Brock considered this. “Maybe? We don’t really have a way to cut them open though.”

“Maybe we could try and crush them? Then pry them apart?”

“I guess it might work.”

“I’d rather try that than do nothing at all,” Buck stated.

Brock nodded. “Yeah, you’re right.”

The cans proved difficult to crush however, especially since they only had their bare feet to do it with. Brock kicked one of the cans in frustration, sending it rattling loudly against the wall. “Fuck!” he cursed, ready to give up.

Buck pressed down with all of his weight and finally the can he was standing on crushed in on itself in the middle. He quickly picked it up and began to bend it one way and the other, folding it over and over on itself until the metal gave way and split up the middle. With one last wrench, he pulled it in two, grinning in triumph.

The grin faded as he heard a scraping noise above and then the sounds of another door swinging open. He quickly passed Brock one of the pieces and they backed up against the wall once again.

Soon they could hear footsteps and then the sound of multiple locks being undone. He looked to Brock, meeting his eye, and nodded. “We got this,” Brock whispered.

The door swung open and before they could even move, it became apparent that they didn’t, in fact, ‘got this’. Pain ripped through Buck and he fell to the floor, unable to move as his muscles spasmed painfully, the device working flawlessly once again. 

“Well, well, isn’t this a pretty sight,” Carl purred, looking down at them. Buck had fallen so he was facing the door but he could feel Brock pressed against his back where he had fallen, his own limbs trembling. 

Carl paused then, listening, and a large, predatory smile spread across his face. He held his finger up to his lips in the traditional ‘quiet’ gesture, even though Buck was completely incapable of making a sound. A long moment later, Carl was turning, pulling something from the waistband of his jeans as he did so. As he moved, Buck caught a glimpse of the room beyond and his heart skipped a beat in his chest as he saw Eddie standing there. A surge of hope rushed through him and then turned into horror as he noticed that the item that Carl was holding was a gun.

“I was wondering when you were going to show up, Diaz,” Carl said. “I’m so glad you didn't keep me waiting.”

Then he pulled the trigger and a bright red stain was pooling over Eddie’s chest and Buck was screaming, screaming, but he couldn’t make a sound.

He could only scream in the silence of his head.


	12. Chapter 12

Eddie Diaz and Venom 

Eddie didn’t even have time to _think_ when he saw the gun in Delaware’s hand. He’d been too worried about Buck, who he could just see on the ground beyond the doorway, and then there was the surprise at hearing that Delaware had been expecting him. Then there was the impact, like someone had punched him, right above his heart, and then hot, searing hot pain, and as he looked down at the blood stain blooming across his shirt, the only thought he had was, _Not again._

He fell to his knees, suddenly unable to stand and he could hear Athena shouting his name, but the edges of his vision were going blurry and he couldn’t concentrate. Delaware was rushing past him, knocking him sideways, and Eddie just went with it, falling down, but he tried his best to land so he could see Buck, could look into those bright blue eyes one last time. 

He could tell that Buck was still feeling the effects of the device that Delaware had used as he was lying prone on the ground but he was at least looking in Eddie’s direction and their eyes met. He could tell that Buck was horrified, even if he couldn’t move, his eyes were always so expressive, and he tried to smile, to offer him some comfort but he ended up coughing, choking on hot blood as it spilled over his lips. Fuck it, he didn't want Buck’s last memories of him to be like this. Why had he not taken the chance to be with Buck when he’d had it? Why had he been so goddamn stubborn? He’d been so scared that Buck would leave him, that he’d be alone, that he hadn't really considered the possibility that it would be _him_ leaving. But he was, he'd been shot in the heart and he didn’t have long, and so he made sure that he had Buck’s attention and he said as loud as he could (which was only a whisper), “I love you.”

There was another shocking loud rapport of a gun being fired nearby and he heard Athena shouting again, and then another voice saying, **“Go after him, I’ve got this.”**

“But Eddie!”

**“I’ve got him, I’ll save him. Go after Delaware!”**

The burning pain in his chest was starting to fade and Eddie knew that he was going into shock. He didn't know how he’d lasted this long already, by all rights he should have died on impact. Perhaps the bullet had only grazed his heart and it would take a few more beats of the organ for him to bleed out? He would take those precious extra seconds he had to drink in the sight of Buck, to be able to openly gaze at him in adoration like he’d not allowed himself to do up till now. Regret washed over him for what he had lost before he could even have it, for all the chances he hadn't taken, all the love he could have had but was too scared to reach out and take. At least he knew that Buck would take care of Christopher for him. His passing would hurt them both deeply, he knew, but they would have each other and they would find a way to keep on going. Buck would love Christopher with all of that massive heart of his and Eddie felt a sort of peace settle over him at the thought. He would be gone but a piece of him would live on in Christopher and through his son he would have the love that he’d never allowed Buck to give him in life.

 **Have you finished being a dramatic little bitch yet?** Venom snapped in his head.

_I’m dying, Venom. I think I’m entitled to a few last thoughts._

**You are** **_not_ ** **dying.**

_I hate to break it to you, but a gunshot wound to the heart is generally fatal. Trust me, I’ve seen my fair share, in war and on the streets of LA as a first responder._

**But did any of those people have** **_me?_ ** **I don’t think so. Do you not listen to a word I say?**

_Huh?_

Venom sighed. **I told you, while I’m with you I can protect you from almost everything,** **_including_ ** **gunshot wounds.**

 _Wait, so I’m_ not _dying?_

 **No, Eddie, you are** **_not_ ** **dying, so save all your sappy declarations of love for when Buck isn’t paralysed so he can kiss your stupid face stupid and tell you he loves you back.**

Eddie was quiet for a moment and then said, _I thought you would have left me by now._

**Why would I do that?**

_Because Eddie is_ right there _and you could go to him. I know you want to, that you can’t wait to be with him again, so why haven’t you gone to him yet?_

 **Why do I always get the dumb ones?** Venom muttered. **You’re** **_hurt,_ ** **Eddie - I’m not leaving you until you’re healed. I can wait two minutes for my own reunion.**

 _Wait, you called me Eddie._ His thoughts were getting clearer and it didn't take long for him to run their conversation through his mind once more. _Twice. You called me Eddie_ twice!

 **Do not make me regret healing you,** Venom snarked. 

_Oh wow, you really_ do _care,_ Eddie thought, shocked.

 **I told you - you’re not so bad for a human. I may have...grown** **_fond_ ** **of you.**

_Aww, Venom, I love you too, buddy._

**I suppose I love you too, but not like I love my Eddie, more like how someone loves the stray cat that they feed.**

_Correct me if I’m wrong, but in our situation,_ you’re _the stray._

**I am not!**

_Yeah, you really are._

**You take that back!**

_Nope._

**I am not a stray!**

_You are, but I’ve kind of enjoyed having you around._ It was then that Eddie noticed something. _Venom, they’re moving!_

Through the doorway, both Buck and Brock were beginning to lose their paralysis. Eddie heard Buck groan and it was the most beautiful sound that he’d ever heard. “Buck,” he called. 

“‘ddie?”

“I’m here, Buck, I’m here.”

A small smile spread across Buck’s lips, even as his limbs shook and shuddered as he tried to move them, but his eyes never left Eddie’s. “‘ove you, too,” he said.

If Venom hadn't just healed Eddie’s heart, Buck’s words surely would have.

oOoOo

Eddie Brock and Venom 

Eddie could do nothing but listen as his body betrayed him yet again. He’d fallen to the ground, half pressed against Buck, and all he could see was the trembling expanse of Buck’s back. He heard Delaware address Diaz and he wanted to cry out, to demand if Venom was with him, because he had little doubt that the person who would have showed up at Buck’s door first was Diaz. Surely Venom had bonded with him, teamed up to come to their rescue? 

But all he could do was listen. He couldn’t even flinch when the gun went off. There were the sounds of a body hitting the floor, a woman yelling, of a struggle, and then he heard it, and his heart soared.

Venom’s voice.

**“Go after him, I’ve got this.”**

“But Eddie!”

**“I’ve got him, I’ll save him. Go after Delaware!”**

Then there was silence again and he knew that Venom would be busy healing Diaz of the wound he had sustained, which was why he wasn’t at Eddie’s side immediately. He didn’t hold that against the man, he honestly didn’t, but he _needed_ Venom back with him, and he hated not being able to do anything about it, hated that he couldn’t go to him.

And then he saw Buck’s arm twitch, and soon he felt his own twitch in response and he knew that the effects of that goddamn device were wearing off. He’d suspected that Delaware had used it multiple times on them when he had captured them, didn’t think it possible that an LRAD would have such long lasting effects and he was right. Slowly, so slowly, he felt control of his body return to him, and soon he was pushing himself to his knees, grasping Buck’s arms as they both staggered to their feet.

He could see now that Diaz had been shot right through the heart, his shirt a mess of damp blood, but he was sitting up and looking very much alive in the way that only someone saved by a symbiote could be. “V?” he croaked, searching Diaz’s face for some sign of his beloved. 

Diaz pushed to his feet and then suddenly black was erupting from him and the nine foot tall, muscular form of Venom was standing outside of the room they’d been kept imprisoned in. 

“Holy shit,” Buck swore. “He really is an alien!”

“Venom!” Eddie cried again.

 **“Eddie!”** And then Venom was moving and Eddie was pushing past Buck to meet him halfway and then large hands were cupping his cheeks and he was being kissed to within an inch of his life. He wouldn’t have cared if he’d died then and there because Venom was back, pushing his long, glorious tongue into Eddie’s mouth, and it kept going and going, filling him up, sinking into him and he suddenly felt whole again as Venom came home. Then the kiss was petering off and the hands on his face were human and he was looking into the confused face of Eddie Diaz.

“What the fuck?” Diaz asked.

Eddie surged forward and kissed him again, hard and fast and then he pulled him into a rough embrace. “Thank you,” he half sobbed into his throat. “Thank you for bringing him back to me, thank you, thank you.”

**Eddie! We’re one again, I’m home!**

Eddie couldn’t help but circle his arms around himself as he let go, as if he could embrace Venom that way. _Oh, love, I have missed you so much!_

“Eddie, Eddie, are you okay?” he heard Buck shout and then Diaz was being pulled away and was being checked over by him but Eddie couldn’t concentrate on that, was too busy reveling in the feel of Venom sitting warm and heavy under his diaphragm. 

**Shall we go and catch a monster?** Venom suggested. **We need to make sure that Athena is okay.**

_Of course. He has a lot to answer for._

They left Buck and Diaz behind as they bounded up the stairs, and as they emerged into the kitchen they saw a door to the right that was open and blowing in the wind. **That way!**

As soon as they were outside, Venom erupted around him, and Eddie wanted to whoop with joy at the feeling of having his beloved back with him. Instead they paused, searching the surrounding area. Delaware’s truck was still there, the driver’s door open and the keys on the ground, and a little way off on the edge of the clearing was a broken branch. _Looks like they went into the woods there._

**On it!**

They ran into the woods, following the trail easily in the dark of night and soon they picked up the noise of a struggle. Then they heard a woman cry out and Venom picked up the pace. Eddie didn’t know how Sergeant Grant-Nash had become involved in this whole thing but he could tell that Venom didn't want any harm to come to her. Finally they saw two figures up ahead, and a feeling of deja vu washed over Venom so strongly that Eddie could _see_ his memory. 

_Eddie on his knees, hands raised above his head. Treece towering over him, a gun levelled at his head._

In front of him, Grant-Nash was on her knees, hands raised, and Delaware was standing over her, his gun levelled at her head. 

Venom was on him in an instant, ripping him away and then his jaw was unhinging, his mouth opening wider and wider and Eddie winced as he always did as he felt Venom’s teeth close around human flesh. He tried to ignore the taste of blood and brains, focused instead on Venom’s happiness and enjoyment of the moment. Then Venom was swallowing and tossing aside the corpse before he held out a hand and offered it to the Sergeant. 

**“Are you okay?”**

She nodded and said, in a shaky voice, “Yeah, I am. Thank you.” There was a large scratch down her cheek and her shirt had a tear in the sleeve.

**“I’m sorry that we couldn’t do it your way.”**

She managed a chuckle. “Oh, I’m not. After watching him shoot Eddie and then stare down the barrel of the same gun, I’m quite happy with his fate.” She paused. “Is Eddie okay?”

**“I healed him, he is fine.”**

“Thank the Lord for that.”

**“Or you could just thank me, since I am the one who healed him.”**

“You got me there. Thank you, Venom.”

**“What will you tell your superiors about what happened?”**

Her laugh this time was slightly hysterical. “I have absolutely no idea.”

**“We will think of something. My Eddie is very smart.”**

“Speaking of your Eddie, do I get to meet him?”

Venom did his trick where half of his face peeled away to allow Eddie to peer out. “Uh, hello,” he said, hoping that she wouldn’t freak out.

“Hi, I’m Athena,” she introduced herself. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

“You seem to be taking this in your stride,” he commented.

Athena shrugged. “It’s LA - I’m used to the crazy.”

Eddie laughed. “Well it’s nice to meet you, too. I’d offer to come out and shake your hand, but I’m kind of naked here.”

“It’s a little chilly, if I were you, I’d definitely stay where you are.” She wiped at a dribble of blood that was running down her temple. “We should get back, check on Buck and Eddie.”

 **“Will you be able to manage on your own?”** Venom asked her.

“Of course. Why?”

**“We can look for a place to put Delaware.”**

One of Athena’s eyebrows arched at this. “And this has absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with you wanting five minutes alone with your Eddie?”

Eddie laughed. “You got to know him well.”

**“It can be both!”**

She reached up and patted one of Venom’s enormous biceps. “Of course, Venom. Just let me go first so I can honestly say I have no idea where Delaware is when I’m asked.”

They watched as she carefully made her way back towards the farmhouse until they were alone. 

“Thanks for coming for me, love,” Eddie whispered.

**“I told you I would. I will always come for you, Eddie.”**

“I know, but thank you anyway.”

**“It was my pleasure.”**

Eddie laughed. “You got a head out of it, of _course_ it was.”

**“Consider it my reimbursement for rescue fee.”**

“Fuck, I missed you so much.”

**“And I you. Now, I believe I saw a ridge over that way when I was coming for you. I think it should hide a body nicely.”**

“It’s like our sixth date all over again,” Eddie said fondly.

**“You never get to complain that I’m not romantic ever again.”**

“Deal.” 

And they got to work.

oOoOo

Buck 

A frown tugged at the edges of Buck’s lips. He’d just watched Brock kiss his big, alien boyfriend and was completely cool with it. What he _wasn’t_ cool about was that as more and more inky black tendrils sank into Brock, the more Eddie emerged from Venom until soon it was just Brock kissing Eddie. Buck really liked Brock, and felt that in their time spent captured together they had formed a firm friendship. However, right now, he just wanted to punch his stupid face. 

He felt a little better when Eddie took a step back and said, “What the fuck?”

Then Brock kissed him again and said, “Thank you. Thank you for bringing him back to me, thank you, thank you,” and Buck wanted to punch him again. Surely he could have just _hugged_ him, he didn’t have to snog him as well.

Then all of his jealousy flew out the window as Eddie staggered backwards and Buck rushed forwards. “Eddie! Eddie, are you okay?” He pulled up his shirt, the sticky material clinging to his torso but underneath the skin was unmarred and perfect. “How?” he asked, but Brock was rushing up the stairs, leaving them alone.

“Buck, oh God, Buck.” Eddie threw his arms around Buck’s shoulders and he held him close. 

“Eddie, I thought I’d lost you. He shot you, I thought you were dead!”

“I know, I know. Venom saved me”

“Where have they gone?”

“After Athena. They’ll keep her safe.” Eddie clung to him a little longer and then pulled back. “Wait, why are you naked?”

Buck flushed but asked, “Are you only noticing that now?”

“To be fair, I was a little preoccupied before _with getting shot.”_

“Carl took our clothes at the start.”

Eddie _growled_ and pulled Buck to him again, and it felt like he was trying to surround Buck with his whole body. “If that bastard even _touched_ you -”

“I’m fine, Eddie, I’m fine, I swear. You’re here, you came for me.”

Eddie pulled back slightly and cupped Buck’s cheek. “I will _always_ come for you, Buck. I was so stupid before, I can’t believe I almost let you go.” He leaned in and gently brushed their lips together. “I love you so much, Buck. I don’t ever want to be apart from you again.”

A tear slid down Buck’s cheek and he buried his face against Eddie’s throat. “I love you, too.”

“How about we get out of here?”

He nodded and allowed Eddie to guide him upstairs and Buck caught a glimpse of the place that they had been held for the first time. “Where the hell are we?”

“A couple of hours north of LA. Some farm house, I’m not exactly sure where.” Eddie pushed Buck into one of the chairs at the small table in the kitchen. “Stay here, I’m gonna go and see if there’s something we can cover you up with. It’s getting cold.”

“It does that here at night. It’s been pretty miserable, Brock and I had to huddle for warmth.” He watched as Eddie’s jaw tightened and a little thrill at the possessive gesture went through him. 

“I’ll be back,” Eddie said shortly and then was gone. A few minutes later he was back, several sheets in his hands. He wrapped one around Buck’s shoulders, then tied it at the front, then wrapped a second layer around him to keep him warm. 

Buck reached out and trailed a finger down the massive blood stain on Eddie’s shirt. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

Eddie nodded. “Yeah, I promise. I’ve got a spare shirt in the car, I’ll change once we’re there.”

“I was worried I’d never get to see you again.”

“I know, same here. But we’re both here now, and I promise, I’m not going anywhere.”

“Good, because neither am I.” Buck tugged Eddie forward until their lips met again and they shared another kiss.

“It’s about damn time you two got your heads out of your asses,” Athena said from the doorway.

They broke apart and grinned sheepishly over at her. 

“You both okay?” she asked.

Buck nodded. “Yeah.”

“We’re good. Are you?” Eddie asked her.

“Yeah, I’m fine, thanks to Venom.”

“Where are they?”

She shrugged. “I have no idea.”

Eddie cocked his head in disbelief. “And Delaware?”

Athena raised both her hands. “No idea, either. It’s a complete mystery.”

“I see. And how is Venom? Still hungry?”

Buck frowned, wondering what they were talking about.

“Oh, I think his appetite has been satisfied,” Athena told him.

“Good,” Eddie spat, and then turned and pulled Buck into a rough embrace.

“I have absolutely no idea of what’s going on,” he admitted.

“All you need to know is that Delaware won’t ever hurt you again,” Eddie assured him.

Buck figured that he was okay with that.

“Those two could be a while,” Athena said. “I’m gonna go and have a poke around, see if there’s any evidence left around here that I can find.”

“Do you need a hand?” Eddie asked.

“No, I’m all good. You just concentrate on your boy there.”

Eddie slotted his fingers together with Buck’s and squeezed. “I’m not letting him out of my sight.”

“Good, because unless you chose otherwise, you’re stuck with me now, Eds," Buck told him.

Eddie leaned in and kissed him softly. “I guess this is forever then.”

Buck smiled. “I guess it is.”

oOoOo

Epilogue - Eddie Diaz 

Bobby passed around the bowl of scrambled eggs and Buck heaped his plate high with them. “Thanks, Bobby,” he said, tucking in.

“You’re welcome. I made extra because I know they’re your favourite.”

Buck gave Bobby a shy smile and Eddie knew he sometimes still had trouble acknowledging that people did special things for him because he was loved. “Thanks.”

Bobby reached over and squeezed his arm. “I’m just glad you’re back, kid.”

“It’s good to _be_ back.”

“Morning, everyone.” They looked up and saw Athena coming up the stairs.

“Hi,” Bobby said, standing and going to greet her with a kiss. “What brings you here?”

“I just wanted to give you all an update,” she said, accepting the cup of coffee that Hen poured her.

“Did you find him?” Buck asked, a note of anxiety in his voice.

Eddie met Athena’s eyes and was glad to see that she was standing firm. They had agreed not to tell Buck what fate had befallen Delaware, since they knew he’d feel guilty about the man’s death. Instead, he’d been told the ‘official' story - Eddie and Athena had suspected Delaware, they’d followed him, and had discovered the farm house. They’d confronted him, he’d run, and they hadn't seen him since. 

“No, Buck, we haven’t. The evidence we found has been processed and our detectives are now working with their counterparts in San Francisco and Seattle. There’s an APB out for him across the whole west coast, and his description has been sent to every fire house as well so if he tries to apply for a job under an alias, they should recognise him.”

“And how are things for you?” Eddie asked her. Athena had taken a little heat for going off on her own instead of calling in backup.

“I have an official reprimand on my file but that’s nothing new,” she said with an exasperated eye roll. “I guess it’ll keep the others company.”

Eddie snorted. “How’s Brock doing?”

Athena grinned. “He rather enjoyed sitting in with me when we filled in SFPD about Delaware. I believe the words ‘I told you so’ were said.” She hooked her thumb over her shoulder. “He's actually downstairs. He’s heading home today and he wanted to speak to you and Buck before he left.”

They were on their feet in an instant. “Excuse us,” Eddie told everyone and hurried after Buck.

Brock was leaning against the fire truck, watching two probies rolling up a hose and he gave them a smile when he saw them. “Hey.”

Buck reached him first and hugged him tightly, his initial jealousy over Brock kissing Eddie gone now that the two of them were officially together. If Eddie was honest, he hadn’t minded the display as it confirmed that Buck really did want to be with him. Once Buck had pulled away, Eddie pulled Brock in for a hug as well. “It’s good to see you, man.”

Brock tilted his head towards the garage doors. “Can we talk outside?” he said.

“Of course.”

“Is something wrong?” Buck asked, immediately worried.

Brock shook his head. “Nah, just someone wants to say goodbye and it would probably freak them out.” He glanced at the new recruits. 

Eddie laughed. “Yeah, yeah it would.”

They headed outside and moved around the side of the building, out of view of everyone. As soon as they were alone, a small head manifested from Brock’s shoulder. 

“Hi, Venom,” Eddie said, reaching out to scritch the top of his head.

**“Hello, Edlebert.”**

He shook his head. “I thought we were past that, man?”

**“This is more fun.”**

“Yeah, I suppose it is.”

**“Hello, Buck.”**

“Hi, Venom,” Buck said, slightly wary.

“We just wanted to say goodbye in person,” Brock told them. “And to say thanks once again.”

“Pretty sure it’s you guys we have to thank,” Buck said. “If it wasn’t for you, I’d probably be dead by now.”

Eddie reached out and took his hand in his, giving him a reassuring squeeze. “But you’re not.”

“No, thanks to them.” Buck smiled at Brock and Venom. “So, again, thank you.”

“Anytime, man. If you’re ever in San Fran, give me a call. We’d love to catch up.”

**“And make sure you add us on Instagram.”**

“You have Insta?” Eddie asked, surprised.

**"Of course. All the good photos are taken by me.”**

“He’s not wrong,” Brock said fondly. “He’s got a good eye for photography.”

“We’ll definitely check it out,” Buck promised.

“Alright, well I guess we’ll see you around,” Brock said and gave them each one last hug. 

**“Take care of yourself, Edwin - I won’t be around to fix you up.”**

“See, I knew you cared,” Eddie teased.

Brock waved and Venom disappeared back inside of him and then they were gone.

“I’m gonna miss Venom,” Eddie admitted.

“You never did tell me what it was like,” Buck said.

“I didn’t, did I? I guess it’s been a little crazy lately.” He slipped his hands around Buck’s waist and pulled him in close. “Christopher is at a sleepover tonight, so we’ll finally have the house to ourselves. How about I tell you over dinner?”

Buck smiled and leaned in for a soft kiss. “Sounds like a date -” He pulled back with a cheeky grin on his face and added - “Edlebert.”

Eddie groaned. “I hate you.”

“No you don’t, you love me.”

He pulled Buck into a hug, squeezing him tighter than necessary. “Yeah, yeah I really do.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading this. I have truly appreciated the comments you've left on this random crossover. Thanks for giving it a chance, and for being as excited as I was about it. Much love xxx
> 
> Feel free to[ come and yell at me on Tumblr.](https://scarletmanuka1.tumblr.com/)


End file.
